Home » Community » ADOT Closes Sedona and Flagstaff SR 89A Highway

ADOT Closes Sedona and Flagstaff SR 89A Highway

Sedona AZ (January 27, 2010) – The forces of Mother Nature made themselves known along a number of Arizona highways during and after last week’s powerful winter storms. A section of one damaged highway, Arizona State Route 89A, connecting Sedona and Flagstaff, remains closed until emergency repairs can be completed.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is working to speed the repairs along SR 89A at the bottom of the Oak Creek Canyon switchbacks where storm runoff caused damage. The highway is unsafe for travel and may be closed for up to two weeks.

ADOT engineers assessed the area and determined that rushing water flowed down the mountains and across the roadway, washing away the soil beneath a portion of the SR 89A pavement, creating a gap beneath the roadbed. The water also eroded part of the slope next to the highway. ADOT will repair the pavement and fill in the retaining wall, work that is expected to take several days.

SR 89A is closed in both directions along an approximate ten mile stretch. Drivers who normally use the highway to commute between Sedona and Flagstaff must now use AZ Interstate 17 and State Route 179.

ADOT is working with the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona, as well as, Coconino County and the Arizona Department of Public Safety to get the message out to both residents and visitors.

“We want to reopen the highway as soon as possible,” said John Harper, District Engineer for ADOT’s Flagstaff District. “Our primary responsibility is to keep people as safe as possible when damage like this occurs. We want to emphasize that no one should drive around the barricades and try to travel on the damaged roadway. This is a major safety risk.”

The status of the SR 89A closure is listed, along with other information about highway conditions around Arizona, on ADOT’s Travel Information site at www.az511.gov and follow SedonaEye.com for ADOT travel updates.

For the best Sedona Arizona News and Views? Subscribe to SedonaEye.com.

Leave a Reply

Copyright © 2008-2017 · Sedona Eye · All Rights Reserved · Posts · Comments · Facebook · Twitter ·