The Arizona Department of Transportation delayed voting on the State Route 89A streetlight project but did not kill the project outright.
False reports that the lighting issue was dead prompted ADOT Director John Halikowski to send a letter to Sedona City Council on Thursday, Jan. 28, clarifying the board took no such action at its meeting on Jan. 15.
“A check of the board’s meeting minutes reveals in crystal clarity that the board simply delayed voting on the issue,” he wrote. The board is waiting for a State Route 89A Continuous Lighting project presentation due at a Wednesday, Feb. 3, study session.
“ADOT intends to install a new lighting system on SR 89A between Dry Creek Road and Airport Road,” he wrote. ADOT earmarked federal funds and received approval from the Sedona City Council to proceed.
ADOT owns and maintains the road through Sedona, including safety and liability issues. If the city chose to step away from the project, ADOT’s alternative would be to make the city responsible.
“ADOT believes that the optimum alternative for SR 89A is installation of a ‘dark sky’ compliant continuous lighting system,” Halikowski wrote. “If a lighting solution is not acceptable to the city, we will begin discussion with the city of Sedona to assume maintenance and operation of this portion of SR 89A, thereby giving the city complete control of the alternatives to improve safety and reduce liability.”
Sedona took over 6/10 of a mile of State Route 89A in Uptown at a cost of $3.8 million, Sedona Assistant City Manager Alison Zelms said. The stretch from Airport to Dry Creek roads is 2.19 miles.
Halikowski wrote the confusion is that persons unidentified in his letter claim the project was killed and are using ADOT’s logo.
“Since the meeting, ADOT’s logo has been used without the department’s permission by persons erroneously reporting that the board voted against approval of the SR 89A Continuous Lighting project,” Halikowski wrote. “The false reports have done nothing but further cloud the issue.”
ADOT will seek approval to add the project to its construction program at its next board meeting. In the meantime, staff is working through National Environmental Policy Act requirements to be ready for construction by this fall.
