US 95

Defense Department grant to fund US 95 improvements near Yuma

Defense Department grant to fund US 95 improvements near Yuma

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Defense Department grant to fund US 95 improvements near Yuma

Defense Department grant to fund US 95 improvements near Yuma

September 29, 2022

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has been awarded a nearly $13.3 million grant that will provide funding for a wider, safer US 95 between Yuma and the Yuma Proving Ground.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded the grant funds to ADOT this month as part of its Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program. The grant is intended to help personnel and equipment travel to military installations more safely and reliably.

The funds will go toward widening about 3 miles of US 95 northeast of Yuma, from Rifle Range Road to the Wellton-Mohawk Canal bridge. The project will transform the two-lane highway into a five-lane facility, including a new bridge over the canal.

Construction is expected to begin in late 2022. However, ADOT is already underway with improvements to an adjacent segment of US 95. Work is expected to be complete by late 2022 on that project, which will widen 3.6 miles of the highway between Avenue 9E and Fortuna Wash.

ADOT split the improvements into two parts in order to minimize delays for surrounding agricultural users, as well as the adjacent urban and military areas. While the Defense Department grant is funding $13.3 million in improvements, the overall project cost is approximately $29 million.

Motorists can expect lane restrictions and delays in the area, with work scheduled 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

A tale of two 95s

A tale of two 95s

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A tale of two 95s

A tale of two 95s

By John LaBarbera / ADOT Communications
September 13, 2021

If you spend nearly half the time we do looking at a map of our lovely trapezoidal state (which would still be A LOT), you’ll notice a meandering roadway hugging the California state line.

But what you may not realize at first glance, is that Arizona’s consistently western-most highway is actually designated with two different names.

Yes, today we are talking about US and State Route 95.

Getting its start in San Luis at the Mexican border, US Route 95 makes its way north to Yuma where it’s referred to as various local names, like Avenue B and E. 16th Street. It travels east for a good 12 miles until it kinks back northbound. US 95 makes gentle twists as it passes Kofa National Wildlife refuge before arriving at Interstate 10 in Quartzsite. After roughly 104 miles, US Route 95 meets its terminus.

But the road travels on! 

Just over the interstate, it becomes State Route 95. In Parker, the highway winks at its neighbor by first calling itself California Avenue, then Riverside Drive. Onward, over the Bill Williams River through to Lake Havasu where we catch a glimpse of the London Bridge. About 20 miles up the road, State Route 95 hits Interstate 40. There appears to be nowhere left to go.

Not so! There are 25 more marvelous miles of State Route 95. They start just over the Colorado River from Needles, California. The highway continues north into Mohave Valley and eventually Bullhead City, where it finally comes to an end at our very own State Route 68.

The only noticeable difference, of course, between US and State designated highways is where they go. US Highways can travel from state to state, sometimes (though not much anymore) spanning the entire country. State designations, by their nature, only exist within the boundaries of the state. Though (and here’s where it gets muddy), the roads themselves may continue on into another state, complete with an entirely different number.

So why does 95's designation switch between a US and state route? That's kind of hard to pin down, but it goes back to when the highway system was still developing. If you want, you can read the Federal Highway Administrations full write up, but essentially US 95 started in Idaho in the 1920s, and wouldn't go further south until 1940, when it extended all the way down to Blythe, California. In the early 1960s it was proposed to extend it from Quartzsite all the way down to the international border with Mexico at San Luis at the request of both Arizona and California.

However, the road south of Quartzsite had already designated State Route 95. According to one Arizona Highway Department document, at the end of the 1930's, it extended from San Luis up to the State Route 72 junction. It's possible that State Route 95 was a contender for the US 95 route before that was finalized. As it is, after the road south of Quartzsite received its US highway designation, everything north became State Route 95, eventually taking over what had originally been State Route 172 heading north of Parker. 

No matter what it's calling itself today, US and State Route 95 make up a unique drive along Arizona's western edge. And that's definitely worth your time.

Rich history in Arizona wilderness

Rich history in Arizona wilderness

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Rich history in Arizona wilderness

Rich history in Arizona wilderness

By John LaBarbera / ADOT Communications
October 19, 2020

If you look at our AZ511 map as often as we do (and we hope you do!), you’ll notice a huge swath of green-marked land in the southwestern portion of our state. If you zoom in on that area just a little bit, you’ll notice the name: Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

Running parallel to 43 miles of US Route 95 north of Yuma and 25 miles of Interstate 10 east of Quartzite, the refuge is home to a plethora of flora and fauna. Plants include native palm trees, a rare species of barberry that only grows in the region, and a great many cactus like prickly pear, cholla, pincushion, and some rather imposing saguaros. Animals include familiar desert dwellers like mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, lizards, desert tortoises, Gambel’s quail, cactus wrens and several kinds of bats.

But there is one inhabitant that proved to be the impetus for the refuge’s creation.

Encompassing nearly 1,040 square miles and a more impressive-sounding 665,400 acres, Kofa National Wildlife refuge was established in 1939, originally as a sanctuary for the endangered desert bighorn sheep.

In fact, it was conservationist and British Army major (but born in Minnesota!) Frederick R. Burnham who first recognized the need to save the oversized ovis. He figured what better group to amplify his message than the Boy Scouts of America. Burnham contacted the Boy Scout's Theodore Roosevelt Council, located in Phoenix, and the scouts took the issue head on. In 1936, they embarked on a two year campaign holding radio interviews and school assemblies about the importance of protecting the sheep. They even mounted a “Save the Bighorn” poster contest, and Major Burnham furnished the winners’ prizes.

The scouts succeeded in their mission and The Kofa Bighorn Sheep Range, as it was known at the time, opened on April 2, 1939 as a joint venture of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Fish and Wildlife gained complete control of the land in 1976 and rechristened it Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

This effort so defined the early days of Arizona's Boy Scouts that the desert bighorn sheep became the group’s official mascot for some time.

The Kofa refuge, and the Kofa Mountain range located within, is named after the long-defunct King of Arizona Mine. The mine was established in the winter of 1896 and officially closed down in the summer of 1910, though ore was mined periodically up until 1937.

Within King of Arizona, miners found plenty of quartz embedded with gold.  Estimates at the time claimed that nearly $3.5 million worth of gold was excavated from the mine. Additionally, workers found wulfenite, a striking crystalized mineral with a beautiful orange glow, and two different strains of opal.

Property belonging to the mine was often stamped as “K of A,” thus leading to the portmanteau we use today.

We’ll leave you with one last fun fact: In the early 1940s, General George Patton trained soldiers on the refuge’s rugged terrain. Known as the Laguna Maneuver Area, armored divisions and infantry battalions went through countless exercises and had extensive weapons training using projectiles, mines, and bombs before they were deployed to the deserts of North Africa during World War II. To this day, military munitions can be found throughout the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Hikers are encouraged to follow the Three Rs: Recognize, Retreat, Report.

You must be at least a little curious by now. So take a day off! Get out of the house and explore over half a million acres of Arizona wilderness, here thanks to due diligence of Arizona's Boy Scouts over 80 years ago. The refuge can be accessed off of Interstate 10 and Vicksburg Road. You can visit az511.gov or download the AZ 511 app for directions. 

State budget provides funding for full I-17 widening project north of Valley

State budget provides funding for full I-17 widening project north of Valley

I-17 101 traffic interchange

State budget provides funding for full I-17 widening project north of Valley

State budget provides funding for full I-17 widening project north of Valley

May 31, 2019

PHOENIX – With planned Interstate 17 flex lanes between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point set for construction starting by 2021, the state budget approved by state lawmakers and signed by Governor Doug Ducey provides the additional funding needed to also complete widening I-17 south of where the flex system will be built.

This $130 million investment to complete new third lanes in both directions of I-17 between Anthem and Black Canyon City is one of many in the budget that will expand and preserve transportation infrastructure across Arizona. Appropriations from the State General Fund include $10 million for an ADOT study on adding lanes to Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson and $10.5 million for preserving state highways to extend the life of existing pavement.

“As Governor Ducey and members of the legislature recognize, investing in critical transportation infrastructure will drive Arizona’s 21st century economy. Our leaders are investing today to support Arizona’s future prosperity,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “As we expand critical commerce corridors and safeguard our state’s $22.6 billion investment in our transportation system, it’s equally important to keep roads in our rural communities safe and reliable.”

In addition to baseline funding for transportation and infrastructure, the budget includes more than $95 million in appropriations from the State General Fund for targeted transportation projects that will improve safety and spur economic development in Greater Arizona. This includes $28 million for expanding US 95 between Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground, that region’s largest employer. There is $20 million to help build two Interstate 40 interchanges needed to accommodate growth in Kingman, with the city providing the remainder of the funding required.

ADOT has been working to advance projects to improve traffic flow and safety along 23 miles of I-17 between Anthem and Sunset Point north of Phoenix. More than $190 million was already committed to building flex lanes north of Black Canyon City as well as adding 7 miles of a third southbound lane directly south of that project.

Investing an additional $130 million over three years will allow ADOT to complete all sections of new third lanes between Anthem and Black Canyon City. Combined with the flex lanes, this increased capacity will enhance safety and help address traffic flow challenges and backups that occur due to crashes and when many drivers are traveling to or from Arizona’s high country on summer weekends.

The Maricopa Association of Governments is providing $50 million in regional funds to help fund the widening of I-17 between Black Canyon City and Anthem.

The I-17 flex lanes will operate as a separate two-lane roadway carrying one direction of traffic at a time depending on the greatest need along the steep 8 miles between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point. With gates at each end and separated by concrete barrier from the current southbound lanes, the flex lanes will be able to carry heavier northbound traffic on a Friday or southbound traffic on a Sunday. They also can keep traffic moving if there is a closure in that stretch.

Required environmental studies for the I-17 corridor are scheduled to be completed by this summer, with the projects scheduled for completion by 2023.

The budget commits $10 million from the State General Fund to an ADOT study, in collaboration with the Maricopa Association of Governments and Gila River Indian Community, on adding a lane in each direction and improving interchanges on I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. Completing a design concept report and environmental study will determine needs and costs, and establish how the improvements will be phased. This process is on track to begin this year with an accelerated 18-month timeline.

The $51.1 million in funds, including $10.5 million in additional funding from the State General Fund, will allow ADOT to preserve the road surface along more miles of state highway through treatments known as fog seals and chip seals. These investments are critical to extend the life of existing pavement by sealing road surfaces against the ravages of weather, heavy use and time.

The budget’s other transportation infrastructure investments from the State General Fund include:

  • $18 million for counties and cities and towns
  • $10 million for local aviation projects
  • $6.5 million for Mesa to construct a State Route 24 bridge over Ellsworth Road
  • $2.8 million for Globe to repair or replace the Jesse Hayes Road over Pinal Creek

Yuma intersection improvements begin April 1

Yuma intersection improvements begin April 1

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Yuma intersection improvements begin April 1

Yuma intersection improvements begin April 1

March 29, 2019

PHOENIX ‒ Yuma-area drivers should expect delays for the next seven months as Arizona Department of Transportation crews make improvements to the intersection of Avenue 8E and US 95.

Work will begin Monday, April 1, to install a new traffic signal, build concrete pedestrian ramps and repave the intersection. The project is expected to be complete in late October.

Work will take place between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays. US 95 will be restricted to one lane between Avenue 7E and Avenue 8E. Avenue 8E will remain open for much of the work, with intermittent closures during installation of the traffic signal and paving.

Speed limits will be reduced on both streets during the work. The maximum vehicle width during construction is 11 feet.

Drivers can avoid the work zone by using 24th Street between Araby Road and Avenue 9E. Drivers traveling north on US 95 to the Yuma Proving Grounds and Quartzsite can take Interstate 8, exit at Fortuna Road and drive north to US 95.

Expect delays on US 95 in Yuma over the next six weeks

Expect delays on US 95 in Yuma over the next six weeks

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Expect delays on US 95 in Yuma over the next six weeks

Expect delays on US 95 in Yuma over the next six weeks

March 17, 2017

PHOENIX – Travel on US 95 between Avenue 3E and Araby Road will be restricted to one lane in each direction for about six weeks beginning Monday while Arizona Department of Transportation crews resurface the road as part of a nine-month project.

From Monday through the end of April, the speed limit on that section of US 95 will be reduced to 25 mph and no left turns will be permitted.

For the first three weeks, both directions of traffic will be moved to the eastbound lanes while crews mill, patch and pave the westbound lanes. Traffic will move to westbound lanes about April 10 to allow work to continue on the eastbound lanes.

During the work, drivers may want to consider an alternate route, which could include Interstate 8 or Gila Ridge Road.

The $3.2 million project started in November to widen and improve US 95 between Avenue 3E and Araby, and along Avenue 3E from I-8 to US 95. The project will reduce congestion and improve the surfaces of both roads, which are used heavily by commercial trucks.

The project, scheduled for completion by late summer, will widen Avenue 3E from two lanes to five, including a turn lane, and widen US 95 from four lanes to five, including a turn lane.

New US 95 bridge making a big difference for the Yuma area

New US 95 bridge making a big difference for the Yuma area

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New US 95 bridge making a big difference for the Yuma area

New US 95 bridge making a big difference for the Yuma area

January 24, 2017

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

If you’re in Yuma and you want to go north to Interstate 10, Lake Havasu City and points north, there’s really just one route. US 95 is the only road from Arizona’s third-largest metropolitan area to the rest of western Arizona.

Unfortunately, that vital road could be shut down for hours when sudden rainstorms struck in the wrong place. Fortuna Wash drains rainwater that falls in the desert and mountains east of Yuma into the Gila River. When the wash flooded, drivers on US 95 had three choices: drive west 60 miles into California, travel 100 miles east to Gila Bend or simply sit and wait.

No more.

Just before the holidays in Yuma, with little fanfare, ADOT crews moved barricades aside and opened a new bridge over Fortuna Wash. The four-lane bridge means travelers no longer have to wonder whether the weather will stop their journeys.

The route’s impact on the Yuma economy would be hard to overstate. US 95 not only is a vital route for commercial trucks carrying local and Mexican-grown produce to American markets, it’s also the primary way into Yuma for the tens of thousands of people who spend their winter in the area. Every morning and afternoon, it’s also the road employees of the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground – one of the area’s largest employers – use to get to their jobs.

Yuma County’s population has climbed to more than 200,000, placing it behind only the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas in Arizona. Making sure a rainstorm can’t shut down one of their most-important roads is a great way to start the new year.

Irrigation pipe installation means no turns at Yuma intersection

Irrigation pipe installation means no turns at Yuma intersection

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Irrigation pipe installation means no turns at Yuma intersection

Irrigation pipe installation means no turns at Yuma intersection

January 6, 2017

YUMA – The intersection of Avenue 3E and US 95 in Yuma will be open to through traffic only – no turns permitted –  for about the next four weeks as Arizona Department of Transportation crews install a 48-inch irrigation pipe.

The work is part of a $3.2 million project to widen and improve both roads on Yuma’s east side.

Construction of a 48-inch, reinforced-concrete irrigation pipe across US 95 is scheduled for completion on Jan. 20.  

During that period, right and left turns will be prohibited at US 95 and Avenue 3E; only through traffic can be accommodated during this phase of work. ADOT encourages drivers to use alternate routes and allow extra time.

ADOT is widening and resurfacing both roads to reduce congestion and improve the surface on roads that are heavily used by commercial truckers. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by August.

Fortuna Wash Bridge outside Yuma opens Thursday

Fortuna Wash Bridge outside Yuma opens Thursday

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Fortuna Wash Bridge outside Yuma opens Thursday

Fortuna Wash Bridge outside Yuma opens Thursday

December 14, 2016

YUMA – Yuma-area drivers no longer have to worry about sudden rainstorms flooding Fortuna Wash and shutting down US 95, the area’s primary north-south route.

Starting Thursday, Dec. 15, traffic will begin flowing over a new bridge connecting Yuma with Interstate 10, Quartzsite and the rest of western Arizona. The bridge is expected to open Thursday afternoon.

“This is a great day for southwest Arizona,” said Paul Patane, ADOT district engineer. “Our community relies on US 95 every day of the year, and this bridge means a clear route for the people who live here and important commercial carriers.

Final work on the bridge and US 95 will continue until spring. Drivers should expect a 45-mph speed limit in the area until work is complete.

US 95 is the only north-south route connecting Yuma with Interstate 10 and Arizona locations along the Colorado River. Until now, it has taken drivers through the wash and has been subject to unexpected closures during heavy rains.

The bridge will make US 95 a safer and more-reliable route for agricultural shipments, international trade and seasonal visitors. It also will make travel more reliable for employees and cargo shipments at Yuma Proving Ground, a U.S. Army facility with more than 3,000 military and civilian employees. The area’s largest employer, it is one of the largest military installations in the world and home to General Motors’ hot-weather vehicle test facility. It has an economic impact of more than $430 million annually.

The $15 million project is partially funded by a $3.2 million federal grant.

US 95, Avenue 3E improvements to begin Monday, Nov. 14

US 95, Avenue 3E improvements to begin Monday, Nov. 14

I-17 101 traffic interchange

US 95, Avenue 3E improvements to begin Monday, Nov. 14

US 95, Avenue 3E improvements to begin Monday, Nov. 14

November 10, 2016

Work will begin Monday, Nov. 14, on a nine-month project to widen and improve US 95 and Avenue 3E on Yuma’s east side, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The $3.2 million project will increase Avenue 3E from two lanes to five lanes with a turn lane, and increase US 95 from four to five lanes, also with a turn lane:

  • Improvements will occur on Avenue 3E from Interstate 8 north to US 95.
  • On US 95, improvements will occur from west of Avenue 3E to east of Araby Road.
  • Work is scheduled for completion in August 2017.

ADOT will maintain access to businesses in the work zone and keep both roadways open during construction; however, drivers should expect lane restrictions. Use alternate routes to avoid delays and allow extra travel time.

Both routes are used heavily by commercial trucking. The project is expected to reduce congestion and improve the road surface.

To receive email updates on this and other projects in the region, please visit https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZDOT/subscriber/new and select  the updates you would like to receive. Your selections can be changed at any time.