Urgent repairs on US 60 between Globe and Superior began last Monday following damage incurred on the highway during the second round of flooding that hit the area just over two weeks ago. The company Ames Construction was contracted by The Arizona Department of Transportation to complete the repairs.
“The contractor has been working on-site since Monday as ADOT works to safely repair the road as quickly as possible so it can reopen to two lanes of travel,” says ADOT public information officer Garin Groff.
Meanwhile, since October 14, travel on US 60 near milepost 241 has been confined to a temporary single lane east and west-bound, with speed restrictions.
The one-lane allows a temporary means of travel through the corridor until ADOT can repair the damage and reopen the highway to two lanes. Flaggers and a pilot car continue to assist drivers through the area.
Last Thursday, the State Transportation Board approved a bid for a $3 million repair project beyond the urgent repairs, including rebuilding the embankment that was washed away, repairing the roadway and replacing the guardrail.
ADOT anticipates the project will continue through the end of November, Groff says.
Meanwhile, the current single-lane layout, with alternating traffic in one direction at a time, is expected to remain in place for three to four weeks, he adds, and drivers should allocate at least an extra 15 minutes of travel time to pass through the corridor, with additional time during peak travel periods.
ADOT closed the highway between Superior and Miami on October 12 after heavy rains created flooding in the canyon, eroding an embankment and a section of shoulder at milepost 241, about three miles west of Miami.
Crews cleared boulders, trees and debris from several miles of highway while roadway damage inspections occurred.
“In some spots along US 60, floodwaters flowed above highway guardrails,” ADOT reported on the department’s Facebook page.
At that time, traffic was being rerouted to detours through Jake’s Corner or Winkelman, and ADOT issued a press release noting there was no estimated time for reopening the highway.
State Representative Eli Crane and officials from the Town of Miami – including Mayor Gil Madrid, Councilman Phil Stewart, Town Manager Alexis Rivera, and business owner Gary Wilson – were given a tour of the destruction.
The evening of October 14, ADOT reopened US 60 between Superior and the Globe to its temporary configuration, with traffic alternating in one lane at milepost 241.
Meanwhile, the Miami to Superior corridor has already been subject to intermittent scheduled daytime closures for the ongoing Queen Creek/Waterfall Canyon Bridges replacement project.
To learn more about the US 60: Queen Creek and Waterfall Canyon Bridges Project and daytime closures that are scheduled, when needed, for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, please visit azdot.gov/US60QueenCreekBridgeProject.
Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, the AZ511 app (download for Apple or Android devices) or by calling 511.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here