Arizona transportation board considers restoring limited access to SR 88
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
Posted 1/10/24
The Arizona Department of Transportation is proposing to invest $4 million to restore limited access to five miles of State Route 88 damaged by flooding in 2019.
It also is seeking money for …
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JAN. 12 MEETING
Arizona transportation board considers restoring limited access to SR 88
(ADOT)
The State Transportation Board will meet 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, in Maricopa, to consider ADOT’s interim plan to restore the unpaved roadway on State Route 88 to a condition that can accommodate vehicles with high clearance or four-wheel drive, as well as utility terrain vehicles, according to a release from the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Posted
INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
The Arizona Department of Transportation is proposing to invest $4 million to restore limited access to five miles of State Route 88 damaged by flooding in 2019.
It also is seeking money for more extensive upgrades needed to make the roadway “more resilient and accessible,” according to a release.
The State Transportation Board will meet 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, in Maricopa to consider ADOT’s interim plan to restore the unpaved roadway to a condition that can accommodate vehicles with high clearance or four-wheel drive, as well as utility terrain vehicles, the release stated.
SR 88 closed in 2019 between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Apache Lake Marina Road when flooding exacerbated by runoff from the Woodbury Fire scar damaged the gravel roadway and left a section blocked by boulders.
Flooding also damaged the drainage system, guardrail and bridge approaches and left unstable rock faces, creating safety issues and making the road vulnerable to additional damage and closures, officials said.
In 2022, ADOT reopened 1.7 miles west from Apache Lake to restore access to the Reavis Trailhead.
ADOT’s interim plan calls for removing boulders on Fish Creek Hill, mitigating rockfall as needed between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Fish Creek, making repairs to retaining walls, installing new signs, cleaning and potentially replacing damaged drainage culverts and taking other steps to safely reopen the highway for high-clearance or four-wheel drive vehicles, according to the release from the state.
Maintenance crews are scheduled to begin work in February on preliminary items ahead of the construction project that will remove vegetation, fill in eroded areas in the road and clean out culverts.
“Subject to approval from the State Transportation Board, contracted construction work would be expected to begin later this year," the release stated.
"Before ADOT can schedule work, the U.S. Forest Service must review and approve the interim project design, since SR 88 follows an easement through federal land. In addition, the project must be designed to meet all applicable state and federal environmental requirements.”
