Trailheads along State Route 179 are set for improvements in the coming months, which could cause slight delays along the highway.

The improvements are planned for a 7.5- mile stretch along State Route 179, and could include a 60-day closure at Yavapai Point Vista, according to representatives with the Red Rock Ranger District of the Coconino National Forest. Construction is expected to begin this week.

Planned improvements include construction of six signs announcing the Red Rock Scenic Byway. The signs are expected to blend into the area’s natural surroundings and be made from natural red rock and self-weathering steel.

Other improvements include new information kiosks and trailhead work.

Connie Birkland, spokeswoman for the Red Rock Ranger District, said the signs will be “portals” to let travelers know they have entered the Red Rock Scenic Byway.

“It’s going to be a rock base with a sign on it at both ends,” Birkland said. “One will be before you come into the Village of Oak Creek, south of Beaver[head] Flat Road, and that’s technically the location of the Red Rock Scenic Byway. It begins south of the bridge, south of Beaver[head] Flat Road and it goes up to Little Horse Trail. It’s only a segment of [State Route] 179.”

Another new sign will be located at Bell Rock Pathway and Yavapai Point, she added.

“The only closure will be Yavapai Point until it’s complete,” Birkland said.

Eric LaPrice, planner and safety manager for the Red Rock Ranger District, said the portal signs will be placed in a location close to the roadway.

“They will be visible,” LaPrice said.

National Scenic Byways, Birkland said, can be found all over the country.

“They’re a specially designated driving route with special significance for scenery. They have to be approved through an application process and often grants come along with it when you get that approval,” Birkland said.

The Sedona area was designated as the Red Rock Scenic Byway in 2006, part of an All-American Scenic Byway designation, which gives the title more significance, Birkland said.

“It’s the only All-American Scenic Byway in all of Arizona,” she added. “Nationally, there are 125 scenic byways in 44 states, but only 36 of the byways, including Red Rock Scenic Byway, is an All-American Scenic Byway.”

Two grants, totaling approximately $400,000 each, were used for the portal signs and for the interpretive displays, Birkland said.

“There’s kind of a whole series of different improvements to acknowledge the byway and sharing that with the public. As I understand it, the first $400,000 grant pretty much went into interpretive displays, which are still in the design phase. They have not been developed yet. We’ll be sharing more information on that coming soon,” Birkland said.