How will construction impact residents and businesses along SR 179?

ADOT utilizes a number of construction methods and works closely with the community, adjacent property owners, residents, and businesses to minimize traffic and access issues that may be associated with construction.

The contractor will sequence the Construction activities in a manner that results in as little disruption as possible to traffic and businesses. For example, consider a restaurant that wants to do an expansion. What do they do? They move all the tables to one half of the restaurant and construct the other half. When that is done, they move all the tables over to the completed side and finish up.

That is similar to how SR 179 will be constructed. For example, construction might start on the East side of the road, and one lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained on the West side of the road. When that phase of construction is completed, traffic may be shifted to the east side of the road while construction begins on the west side. The new shoulders on the roadway will be used as part of the travel lane during construction, which helps to minimize traffic delays and disruptions.

The Project Team has also met with a variety of community and state businesses and groups to develop a construction communications plan. ADOT uses a variety of techniques to make sure that the public is aware and updated on construction activities. These techniques will be tailored to this community and the users of SR 179.

How is access to businesses going to be maintained during construction?

The construction staff will maintain a close relationship with all businesses. ADOT’s construction project will not block access to a business. We will work one on one with each business as activities near to ensure that access is maintained.

How will ambulances, school buses, tour buses, etc., get through during construction?

We have a variety of communication methods to get out the most up-to-date information to the school district, public safety and emergency response personnel, city and county officials, the tourism industry, etc. We will communicate directly with the emergency service providers to provide updates on construction activities.

How will I know when the road will be closed?

We do not anticipate road closures and will maintain one lane of traffic in each direction to the extent possible. Current construction updates will also be available through:

• local media
• Chamber of Commerce
• e-newsletter from our project
• Website www.scenic179.com
• Hotline 800-529-2876

When will construction start on Project 2?

We anticipate construction will begin in Summer of 2007.

When will construction be finished?

Project 1 is expected to be completed in Spring 2008. We anticipate that construction of the entire SR 179 corridor will be completed in 2009.

Why don’t we just build an alternative route to SR179?

There is an approved Environmental Assessment pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the SR 179 project that defines the limits of where improvements for SR 179 can be implemented. Alternative routes outside of these approved limits would require separate NEPA compliance, sponsored by the governmental agency with jurisdiction over that particular land. ADOT does not own the lands or roadways where an alternative route has been considered.

Many community members have raised questions about the possibility of erecting a sign on I-17 at Camp Verde that would inform travelers that they are able to access Sedona via SR 260 and SR 89A.

The idea presented to ADOT was to have a sign at the junction of SR260/I-17 northbound that would say "Sedona use Exit 287 or Exit 298”, or “Sedona Business Route use SR260 and 89A”. The inquiries have regarded both permanent signage as well as temporary signage during SR 179 construction. The initial inquiries were received years ago, and the issue has been evaluated by ADOT several times.

There are several factors that were considered with the proposed permanent signage:

1. Installation of a permanent (or temporary construction) sign at I-17 and SR 260 detouring traffic would not be viewed as favorable to Village of Oak Creek and south Sedona businesses.
2. There are FHWA and ADOT guidelines that specify the number of destination cities or towns that can be listed on interstate signage. The SR 260 TI already has more demands for signing than can currently be accommodated, with Cottonwood, Payson, Camp Verde, Jerome/Clarkdale and Tuzigoot National Monument all currently listed.
3. A separate permanent sign for Sedona on I-17 at SR 260 is not warranted by ADOT and FHWA guidelines because Sedona is not a control city on SR 260, meaning that SR 260 was not originally built to access Sedona.

With regard to the construction signage, the first factor above is the most important. We are working hard to minimize the impact to the local businesses during construction by keeping one lane in each direction open, along with business access, on SR 179 as much as possible. If we were to put a detour sign at I-17 and SR 260, the Village of Oak Creek and south Sedona businesses could potentially be impacted by reduced pass-by traffic.

While we understand the inquiries and requests, ADOT and other state highway departments are obligated to provide signage on the interstate highway system that provides the most direct route to a destination. Indirect routes are not provided on signage. In the specific circumstance of SR-179, it provides the shortest and most direct link between I-17 and the City of Sedona.

Therefore, ADOT cannot install temporary or permanent signage identifying this indirect route from I-17 to Sedona.