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Sedona AZ (August 13, 2010) – Authored by Vice Mayor Cliff Hamilton as part of a series of articles written by Sedona City Council members in an ongoing effort to maintain communication with our residents and businesses and to provide a Council perspective on current issues:
The Sedona City Council unanimously agreed at its Tuesday, August 10, 2010, meeting to enter negotiations with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) regarding transfer of SR 89A in West Sedona to City ownership.
The Council also approved a $41,000 professional services contract to provide cost estimates for construction and maintenance of any improvements needed to meet road safety standards plus enhanced safety options for both night and day. The study will address the needs of pedestrians and bicycles as well as motor vehicles. Although commissioned as part of the City’s turnback investigation, this engineering assessment would be needed as part of any future planning for the redevelopment of the West Sedona corridor.
These actions do not commit Sedona to owning the road but enables City staff to gather detailed information regarding potential financial, maintenance, safety and repair issues and to negotiate conditions of such a transfer. Whether negotiations lead to any agreement remains to be seen.
The point of all this is to enable the Council to make fully-informed choices with no surprises later – no unintended consequences or unexpected costs. It is also about making decisions that are consistent with Sedona values, the desires of Sedona residents and what is fiscally responsibility. Until the facts are gathered, negotiations are complete and independent engineering information available, an informed point of view cannot be expressed by anyone unless we are to believe in clairvoyance.
ADOT suggested the city take back ownership of the road in the face of strong community opposition to proposed installation of continuous streetlights that has been ongoing since 2007. Any formal decision to actually proceed with a turnback is still months away. In a July 8, 2010, letter from ADOT Director John Halikowski, however, gave the City an ultimatum to begin discussions about taking over road ownership by August 15, 2010. He further stated that if the City and ADOT were unable to reach an agreement by January 15, 2011, the streetlight construction project would begin as soon as it could be bid and a contract awarded.
In his letter, Halikowski also offered to:
- Complete the upcoming repaving project on 3.3 miles of SR 89A within city limits – estimated value $4.4 million,
- Install a new traffic signal, right turn lane and crosswalk on SR 89A at Andante – estimated value $400,000,
- Provide $75,000 each year for 10 years for road operations and maintenance,
- Provide funding for the City to design, develop and construct alternative safety improvements along SR 89A – estimated value $2.75 million,
- Support the city’s request for eligible expenditures of future federal transportation enhancement funds,
- Address cost sharing at three specific locations along SR 89A for rock fall mitigation, drainage capacity and turning radius on the northeast corner of Dry Creek Road.
Sedona’s initial approach to ADOT about 89A safety was triggered by three pedestrian deaths near Andante Drive. The City’s Highway 89A Safety Panel, established in 2007 to review crash and injury data and propose solutions, soon realized that the issue needed to consider both residents and tourists, both night and day. Continuous streetlights addressed only the nighttime part. Safety Panel recommendations for lowering the speed limit and installing a signal light at Andante were accepted by ADOT only after pressure by citizens and the previous City Council.
Given the many issues and opportunities surrounding city ownership of the road, most Council members believe it would be just as irresponsible to reject a possible turnback outright without gathering all the facts as it would be to proceed with one without full due diligence.
Sedona could benefit significantly from owning the road. There are also concerns about doing so. Benefits include controlling our own destiny in planning changes and improvements, reduced liability through improved safety, developments consistent with Sedona values and better timing on any construction activity. Concerns include cost involved, no longer sharing liability with ADOT and construction disruption of businesses.
Any kind of changes the city might want to make to 89A as part of a redevelopment plan, building code changes, use of signs or safety improvements have to be approved by ADOT and meet state highway standards. This applies even if the city paid for them. Controlling our own destiny in regard to these activities would be a major benefit.
Ability to make real safety improvements that benefit pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles is another reason for controlling the road. Sedona currently shares liability with ADOT and ADOT has refused to consider safety measures that work both day and night such as additional crosswalks, safety islands and pedestrian barriers. Streetlights are ADOT’s only response to safety issues even though according to Sedona Police reports, for the past three years, 97% of the 103 injury accidents occurred in daylight hours while only three injuries occurred at night. Better safety improvements could reduce the City’s liability.
Sedona residents have made it very clear they don’t want two miles of continuous streetlights interfering with dark skies at night and the visual pollution of 93 more light poles cluttering daytime views. Many also value maintaining a small town approach rather than a big city feel to the road.
Finally ownership allows the nature and timing of any construction activities can be controlled by the City to minimize impacts on residents and businesses. When ADOT owns the road, construction such as installation of streetlights, will happen on ADOT’s time schedule, not a schedule with businesses and residents in mind.
Some residents have misleadingly said that a turnback will lead to more construction during this economic downturn. Just the opposite is true. If the City does not reach agreement with ADOT on a turnback, streetlight installation will begin immediately.
Streetlights will require a trench down both sides of the street from Dry Creek Road to Airport Road. Many of the trees and bushes will be removed and every business will have its access blocked at some point. Construction will take six months or longer – most likely longer if you have been watching progress on the traffic light at Airport Road or the additional time being taken for SR 179 completion.
No major construction is being considered as part of this turn-back. Any construction of safety improvements such as crosswalks, safety islands or pedestrian barriers will be further in the future, very localized and done at a time of the City’s choosing.
Costs for maintenance, repairs and any needed improvements are a concern of both Council members and residents alike. Enough options for handling costs currently exist to make turnback discussions fiscally prudent. Annual maintenance is currently running about $65,000 and the next major cost doesn’t happen until about 16 years from now when repaving is needed. By then the city will have paid off most of it’s current bonds, freeing up about $6 million annually. One year of that, for example, will cover most of the repaving costs for another 15 years. As cities often do, Sedona could also use a new bond at that point to fund that major road project. We could also apply for federal grants to help defray costs and seek portions of the gas tax ADOT now gets since they will no longer own the road. And remember, ADOT has already offered $75,000 annually for at least ten years for maintenance and $2.75 million for safety improvements the city might select.
Liability is not a new issue. Sedona already shares liability on 89A with ADOT. What would be new is having full liability. If the city owns the road, it will also have full opportunity to make real safety improvements that genuinely reduce liability – something ADOT has refused to do. Today, ADOT decides what to do and not do for safety and the city shares the liability of whatever they choose.
The city has embarked on a learning and negotiation process that will culminate in mid-January with an informed decision about Sedona taking ownership of west SR 89A or telling ADOT to put in the streetlights. The next major decision point in this process will likely be mid-November when the engineering study is completed and negotiations have been under way long enough to provide a definite sense of where they are headed. Meanwhile, the Council will receive regular progress reports and work to insure that information is shared widely.
The information in this article has been reviewed by appropriate city staff for factual correctness. Any opinions that may be read into this article are attributable only to the author and do not necessarily represent those of the City Council or city staff.
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More propaganda from a Elitist
As a resident of Cottonwood, I can only comment that it seems to me the “powers that be”, i.e. Road Department, is simply making a squeeze play to try to hint that Sedona will be totally liable for all and every incident or need in care of the highway. It sounds frightening and so far above what my lack of expertise can conceive of– but it certainly looks like a power squeeze play. I’m on your side,
whatever Sedona City decides. BRAVO!!!
Once again, VMayor Hamilton uses the comment that “Sedona residents have made it very clear…” but provides no survey or any significant number or empirical proof at all. Recently the residents have shown that they are not in favor of many of the ideas that this Council thinks will be good for Sedona. Sedona.biz did a survey… In taking back SR89A as explained by vMayor Hamilton, it will leave the City vulnerable to liability because Sedona will not be doing anything to mitigate the safety issue. Also, ADOT told Sedona that if it did not want the lights it needed to consider taking back the road. Amazing the spin our vMayor can put on an issue! SedonaFacts will again begin to publish FACTS that somehow are lost on this Sedona Council.
You get ALL the facts and make them available to the public. That’s how government is supposed to work Mr. “Joe Blow”.
Vice Mayor Hamilton long ago decided to take back Hwy. 89-A against the Will of the People. In serving a select group he has lost sight of ALL Sedona residents. Not only is this council continually fabricating facts regarding ownership of HWY. 89-A but they have turned their back on a fundamental reason many of us voted for this council, fiscal responsibility! Who in their right mind would propose going into debt utilizing BONDS to pay for road maintenance? This council promised to get us out of DEBT and now at every turn they are proposing more and more debt! Please City Council fulfill your promise of fiscal responsibility and end this talk of take back of HWY 89-A
Question for Beverly: What would be your opinion if Cottonwood were asked to consider a turn-back of SR 89 within your own City Limits and, perhaps, even extending through Clakdale and Jerome? Would you consider that concept more than just a bit frightening if local jurisdictions would subsequently be required to absorb all costs for improvements, maintenance, and liability?
Remember one thing estimates of costs to the tax payers coming from Government is always way below the true cost. Try and think of any government estimate that was not totally underestimated. If you have traffic yes there is a great chance people may die but I doubt enough can be done to guarantee that no one in the future will be fall in harms way.