Article submitted by the city of Sedona.

Sedona AZ – The Sedona Uptown project remains on schedule and on budget. Heavy work is expected to be completed by spring 2020, and the entire project finished in summer 2020.

Recent work:

– Substantial completion of the Jordan Road roundabout and start of work on the Schnebly Road roundabout.

– Work on the northwest corner pedestrian area at SR 89A and Forest Road. The southernmost crosswalk in this area will be removed, and the traffic light timing at this intersection will be adjusted to improve north-south traffic flow on SR 89A.

One note on the Jordan Road roundabout: The red concrete area of the roundabout that looks like a sidewalk is actually a truck apron. The truck apron allows large vehicles—trucks, buses, and recreational vehicles—to navigate small roundabouts without striking fixed objects or other vehicles by providing a space for some of their wheels to roll across. When construction is complete, additional asphalt on the road bed will reduce the height difference between the pavement and the apron.

Forest Road extension

Design work is beginning on the Forest Road extension and will continue until summer 2020. Construction is expected to begin after July 2020, and the new road is expected to be open in winter of 2022. The new portion of Forest Road will connect with SR 89A west of the post office.

Citywide shared use paths for walking and biking

Work continues in a number of areas. These include:

– A master planning process to create and/or link shared-use paths throughout the city.

– New shared-use paths for Soldiers Pass Road, Schnebly Hill Road, Dry Creek Road and Thunder Mountain/Sanborn Road.

– Discussions about a shared-use path with residents of the Chapel Road area, who have requested safety and parking improvements along Chapel Road.

Transit

At the Oct. 23 meeting, the Sedona City Council affirmed its support for transit and approved a full-time position dedicated to advancing transit implementation planning.

Watch the three-hour Oct. 23 city council discussion at http://sedonaaz.swagit.com/play/10232019-810. Choose agenda item 3.

Read the final draft implementation plan at sedonaaz.gov/transit. Posted on this page are the 24-page executive summary, 330-page full report, and 89-page appendix. There are also two infographics to view.

Watch Yavapai Broadcasting’s Oct. 15 County Wide TV show about the transit implementation plan: Watch it on YouTube.

Wayfinding, Tlaquepaque, Y slip lanes, and traveler information signs

– Design will begin soon for a creekside pedestrian crossing under the SR 179 bridge near Tlaquepaque. Ideas are being explored for a new exit from Tlaquepaque onto Ranger Road for use during peak periods.

– Wayfinding signs and kiosks have been installed in Uptown, with more placement to occur after construction is completed. A parking garage study for Uptown will be presented to city council in November.

– The city continues to work with ADOT to improve travel time displays to Sedona on the I-17 corridor.

– ADOT continues to study concepts to minimize parking and access impacts for the addition of slip lanes at the Y roundabout.

 Merry Midpoint! Uptown for the holidays.

Support local merchants during construction and celebrate both the season and the midpoint of Uptown construction. Visit Uptown restaurants and shops with friends and family. Here’s what’s on tap:

Nov. 27 – Holiday lights go live in Uptown
Dec. 4 – Locals Nite Out at Soundbites Grill. Buy one, get one free from 3-8 p.m.
Dec. 6 – Tree lighting at Tlaquepaque North, 5-7 p.m.
Dec. 7 – Breakfast with Santa at the Hub at Posse Grounds Park, 8-10 a.m.  Details on Santa’s visit are here.

Remind your friends

There’s a lot happening with Sedona in Motion. Remind your friends to subscribe to Sedona in Motion news updates at sedonaaz.gov/simnews.  Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose “SIM general updates.”

Construction photo taken Oct. 21, 2019, looking north toward the new Schnebly Road roundabout.  Photo credit city of Sedona.

This is a condensed report on progress since September. For detailed information on any of the projects, visit the city of Sedona project-specific web pages at sedonaaz.gov/sim.