Residents are encouraged to attend an open house in advance of construction in Uptown as part of Sedona in Motion transportation improvements.
The open house will be held Monday, March 18, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., at the Sedona Heritage Museum, located at 735 Jordan Road. Residents are invited to look at project designs, which are now 90 percent complete, ask questions of city staff and the construction contractor’s staff and share thoughts on best days and hours for construction activity.
“We’re committed to minimizing and managing construction impacts for business owners and residents, and we want to hear their thoughts on construction days and hours,” Engineering Supervisor Stephen Craver said. “We’re excited to begin construction on traffic improvements, which residents have made clear is their highest priority.”
Craver said there will be a presentation at the front end of the meeting, and then they will allow people to break out and visit individual display boards if they’d like more detail.
“Most people are very responsive, understanding that there is a need for something to be done to alleviate southbound traffic congestion out of Oak Creek Canyon,” he said. “There are certainly businesses that have expressed concern, or opposition, but the city is engaged in doing what we can to alleviate concerns while still accomplishing the objectives of the project.”
In its entirety, the Uptown project includes a combination of street, hardscape and landscape improvements designed to control and improve traffic flow and mitigate a variety of causes of delays. The project includes:
- Additional southbound lane on State Route 89A from the north end of Uptown to Forest Road
- Roundabouts at Jordan Road and north of La Petite Hotel that will include public art
- Connection between southbound State Route 89A and parking on Schnebly Road
- Landscaped, decorative median on State Route 89A through Uptown that will include art elements
- Decorative median on Forest Road between 89A and Wilson Road; extended sidewalk on the north side of Forest Road between 89A and Wilson Road; new crosswalk across Forest Road at Wilson Road
- Removal of the crosswalk at the southwest corner of Forest Road and 89A, and creation of additional pedestrian space at the northwest corner crosswalk.
These projects carry an estimated price tag of $3.6 million.
The Uptown improvements are among many elements of a citywide transportation master plan developed over the course of two years of study, planning, public meetings and discussions.
Public Works Director Andy Dickey said the Uptown project is a key improvement important to the overall SIM project.
“What’s really important to understand is that there is no one solution to Sedona’s traffic congestion because addressing just one spot will only push the bottlenecks somewhere else,” he said. “The transportation plan calls for many big and small projects that work together to improve traffic flow throughout all of Sedona.”
