Arizona Department of Transportation SR 179 Improvement Project
(800) 529-2876 www.scenic179.com pr@scenic179.com

Welcome to the State Route (SR) 179 Project Weekly Construction Update - your electronic connection to the SR 179 Project with the most current information on construction plans and activities.

Please note:  Changes to construction plans can happen frequently due to weather, equipment availability and personnel issues. We try to anticipate construction activities a week in advance but changes may occur. Intermittent lane closures, with short delays, may not always be known in advance.

What to Watch for Week of March 12

What's New on SR 179

A dirt haul is scheduled to begin Monday, March 12. This operation will take place between milepost 309.3 and Little Horse Trailhead. Watch for trucks entering and exiting the highway and flagging operations.

Cortez Road will be closed on March 12 for approximately three weeks. The Jack’s Canyon Road intersection will re-open to traffic on Friday, March 9. Castle Rock Road re-opened March 7.

The Giant Station driveway has re-opened after driveway construction and the Tequa north driveway should reopen soon. Intermittent driveway closures are necessary for the construction of the new improved storm drain, curb, gutter, sidewalk, and driveways. These closures will be minimized to the extent possible and signage will be placed to assist with business access. Individual businesses will be given advance notice of these closures.

Lane closures will no longer be allowed between the hours of 6am and 8pm for utility relocation work. ADOT, the City of Sedona and the utility companies have agreed to allow some lane closures after 8pm. The utility contractor will be required to provide at least 1 week notice prior to any lane closures via a variable message board in the vicinity of the lane closure. All lane closures for utility work will also be posted on the SR 179 website.

The lane closures are necessary to perform some of the relocation work such as overhead pole installation and overhead wires that will cross SR 179.

SR 179 Communications

On Tuesday, March 13, tune in to AM 1600 KYBC after the 8 a.m. news and on 105.7 KVRD at 2 p.m. to hear the latest on the SR 179 construction.

ADOT hosts Construction Chat on the first Thursday of each month from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. at the SR 179 Project Office in Bell Rock Plaza. The next Construction Chat will be Thursday, April 5.

Ongoing Work on SR 179

Construction of a retaining wall is ongoing south of the Village of Oak Creek where traffic has been shifted westward onto temporary pavement. There may be minor traffic impacts such as shoulder closures or construction vehicles needing access to the road, or lane closures of short durations with flaggers/DPS present.

Drainage work between the new Ranger Station and Ridge Trail Drive is ongoing. There may be minor traffic impacts such as shoulder closures or construction vehicles needing access to the road, or lane closures with flaggers/DPS present.

Work for new bridge construction in the forest segment is ongoing near milepost 309.5, and there may be short duration flagging operations. The HT Trail will be closed until Spring 2007.

Traffic at Back O Beyond is shifted to the east side of the road, so storm drain work can proceed on the west side. Temporary concrete barrier is installed to help traffic flow. There may be intermittent lane closures with flaggers/DPS present.

Project 2 Utility Work

Back O’ Beyond to Copper Cliffs (APS, Qwest and Cable Vision)
PS trenching crews are working at the Juniper and Arrow Drive intersections and the electrical crews are working between Morgan Road and Copper Cliffs Drive.  Their crews will continue to work in the corridor until approximately the end of April 2007.  The public can expect to see APS, Qwest and Cable Vision crews and their contractor adjacent to the roadway in this area.

Canyon to the Y ( Arizona Water)
Arizona Water Company will be installing a new 16" water line between Canyon Drive and the Y (SR 179/89A). Their contractor has started potholing along the project limits and will begin underground work March 19th.  At the request of Arizona Water, ADOT right-of-way crews will begin staking the existing right-of-way on the west side of SR 179 between Canyon Drive and the Y on March 19th.  The new water line installation is scheduled to be completed by mid July. The public can expect to see Arizona Water crews and their contractor adjacent to and in the roadway in this area.

Hillside to Exposures Gallery (NPG Cable)
NPG Cable will be trenching on the west side of SR 179 across from Hillside's south driveway to the Exposures Gallery. The work will require a lane shift of the southbound and northbound traffic. NPG has contacted the adjacent businesses (including Inn on Oak Creek and Hillside management) to provide notice of this work. This work will begin March 12th and will take approximately three days to complete.