Sedona AZ (June 3, 2015) – At approximately 8:30 a.m. today, the Arizona Department of Transportation completed overnight work to pour a concrete deck on the newly reconstructed northbound Interstate 15 Virgin River Gorge Bridge No. 6 in the far northwestern corner of Arizona.
ADOT is urging motorists traveling through the Virgin River Gorge on AZ I-15 to allow for extra travel time due to a reduced 25-mph speed limit that will remain in place for a 48-hour period as part of an ongoing bridge reconstruction project.
The reduced speed limit, which is expected to be lifted at 8:00 in the evening of Wednesday, June 3, 2015, will allow for the fresh concrete to properly cure due to the reduced vibration from the lower-speed traffic.
Traffic delays up to an hour are possible. Carry potable water at all times when traveling in Arizona and, if traveling with pets, exit vehicles with the pet properly leashed.
The northbound bridge, located midway between Mesquite, Nevada, and St. George, Utah, at milepost 16, is closed for the reconstruction project and both directions of traffic are currently traveling on the two-lane southbound bridge, which will also be replaced when the new, wider northbound bridge is completed this summer.
The completion of the concrete deck pour is a significant milestone on the $27 million reconstruction project that began in 2014, and includes the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the gorge.
The highway is currently narrowed to one lane in each direction through the work zone until the Virgin River Bridge No. 6 project is completed in 2016.
With limited alternate routes due to the remote location of the I-15 Virgin River Gorge corridor, ADOT urges drivers to plan ahead, allow extra travel time, slow down and drive carefully through the work zone, and be alert for additional construction equipment, crews and law enforcement personnel.
For more information about the I-15 Virgin River Bridge project, please visit azdot.gov/I15virginriver.
Read www.SedonaEye.com for daily news and interactive views!
Drivers should be aware of the following restrictions:
Northbound Interstate 17 closed between Glendale and Peoria avenues from 9 p.m. Friday to 11 p.m. Saturday
Eastbound Interstate 10 (toward Tucson) narrowed to one lane between Wild Horse Pass Boulevard and Riggs Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday and from 9 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday
Southbound Interstate 17 closed overnight between Pioneer Road and State Route 74(Carefree Highway) from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.
This has been your weekend of June 5-8, 2015 ADOT traffic alert update.
The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a road improvement project on Monday, June 15, to resurface eightteen miles of Interstate 40 through the city of Winslow (milepost 250-268).
The $9.3 million project will include removing and replacing the existing asphalt eastbound and westbound, removing and replacing the State Route 87 bridge deck, which crosses I-40, and installing new guardrail. The majority of the paving on the project is anticipated to be completed by late September. The bridge deck replacement will be completed late December. The final finishing layer of asphalt may need to be completed next spring 2016.
During paving operations the following interchanges on I-40 will be affected; Hipkoe Drive, North Park Drive, Transcon Lane and State Route 87.
Workers will work on one interchange at a time. Motorists will need to travel to the next interchange, east or west of the one being worked on, to exit or enter the interstate. During construction of the SR 87 bridge deck, north bound traffic will remain open during the entire project while southbound traffic will be diverted to the Transcon interchange.
Work hours will be 2 a.m. to sunset on Monday through Friday. There will be narrow traffic lanes, wide load restrictions and a reduced speed limit through the work zones. Drivers are asked to use caution, watch for detour signs and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.
For more information about this project, please call Rod Wigman at 928-308-8233, or email rwigman@azdot.gov.