In terms of construction in both Oak Creek Canyon and Uptown, the old adage of “kill two birds with one stone” definitely applies. As construction continues in Uptown as part of the city’s Sedona in Motion project, work has been underway in the canyon for more than a week as the Arizona Department of Transportation begins much-needed repaving of State Route 89A.

Work will stretch from south of Midgley Bridge to just south of the Pumphouse Wash Bridge at milepost 387, which is just before the switchbacks. It was originally announced that the work would stretch to the scenic outlook, but ADOT spokesman Ryan Harding said that is not the case since the switchbacks were repaved less than two years ago. 

“This much-needed project will provide a fix to the damage the highway has taken from snow and ice over multiple winters,” he said.

While vegetation removal is taking place now, repaving of the roadway will start the beginning of October and will be done Sunday through Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. This ADOT project will also include replacing guardrail along the roadway to meet current safety standards and turnout modi¬fications to improve safety. Work will result in single lane closures and restrictions along 89A over the course of approximately five months during work hours. City Engineer Andy Dickey said the work done by ADOT last week overlapped the city project and some traffic impacts extended into the city work area, which resulted in additional congestion. This was minor work including things like tree trimming. 

“This effort has extended further away and is now not impacting the city work area,” he said. “The next phase of work will include paving and will be completed at night so we do not expect this to add to typical congestion events or to coincide with traffic impacts related to the Uptown Roadway Improvements Project.”

This is not the first time there’s been work going on in Uptown at the same time as ADOT work in the canyon. This occurred in 2015 and Dickey said it’s beneficial when projects like those and the current ones coincide.

“Although there has been an increase in traffic congestion due to the ADOT project, it is preferred to reduce the duration of impact,” he said. “The fewer days with construction impact means the fewer days we have with interruption to our businesses and residents. Our Sedona in Motion projects are focused on keeping Sedona moving.”

Sedona Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jennifer Wesselhoff said many of the busi¬nesses they’ve spoken to at the Sedona in Motion weekly meet¬ings have said that business has remained consistent year over year and that construction has had very little impact on their summer business. 

“We’re very happy to hear that,” she said. “We are not concerned with both projects being done simultaneously — since it’s a done deal for both ADOT and the city of Sedona. We hope that signage will be clear, traffic flow disruption will be minimal and that both projects are completed as predicted.”
Wesselhoff added, “Road construction is a reality that most everyone has to deal with and these two projects are sorely needed. We are working hard to help everyone adapt and continue to be informed.”

Other proposed ADOT projects for Oak Creek Canyon include:

• Pumphouse Wash Bridge Rehabilitation

Pumphouse Wash Bridge was constructed in 1931 and is located on State Route 89A. Options to rehabilitate or replace the existing bridge have been under evaluation since October 2006. Pumphouse Wash Bridge is a historic structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places and full replacement of the bridge would negatively impact endangered species, stream water quality and the historic nature of the bridge. These factors led to the determination that the bridge will be rehabilitated to extend its service life. Work to rehabilitate the bridge will result in single lane closures along 89A for approximately three months. One travel lane will remain open to accommodate traffic, with one lane closed to allow work on the bridge deck. The traffic restrictions are planned to be in during late summer and early fall of 2019. Additional work to complete the rehabilitation will occur in summer 2020 but is not expected to require lane restrictions on 89A.

• Rockfall Mitigation

The rockfall mitigation project will reduce the potential of rocks falling onto the travel lanes at two locations. The first location is near Sedona city limits at milepost 375.1; the second location is located in the switchback section at milepost 389.2. Rockfall mitigation work is tentatively scheduled for fall 2020. To maintain safety during rock-removal operations, complete but intermittent closures of some parts of the highway around the rockfall areas will be necessary. The project is anticipated to take approximately three months to complete.

• Oak Creek Drainage and Sediment Control

The erosion control project includes installing retaining walls, stabilizing slopes, increasing roadside ditch capacity and adding inlets and roadway cross-culverts to preserve deteriorating slopes and reduce sediment transport between mileposts 387.9 to 389. Drainage and sediment control project work is anticipated to occur in the fall of 2019.