US-89 in Arizona closed indefinitely

[glc]

US-89 in Arizona between the US-89A junction and Page is closed indefinitely due to a road collapse.

There are 2 detours: US-160/AZ-98 or US-89A.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Whoa, those are some incredible photos!

[glc]

According to the president of the Navaho Nation, the closure will be "at least 8 months" and they are considering paving Navaho Route 20 in the meantime.

[glc]

According to the Flagstaff newspaper, they have approved the paving of Navajo 20, it should be open as a bypass (US-89T) in about 4 months. This will make the detour relatively insignificant, it's actually about 3 miles shorter than the main line.

[glc]

Paving began on N-20 2 weeks ago and is expected to be completed sometime in mid-August. It will become "US-89T" until permanent repairs are completed on US-89.

[glc]

AZDOT has identified a permanent repair process, and it looks like it will take at least 2 years. In the meantime, the paving job on N20 is on schedule for completion in August.

[Lifemagician]

Knowing I was heading out this way, these reports have been of great interest to me. However, speaking with trip and route advisors along the way, many seem to be of the opinion that this road will never open again, at least not on its current allignment. The thought seems to be that it may be rerouted away from its fault (faulty) location.

Lifey

[AZBuck]

The Arizona Department of Transportation has the following to say about the US-89 situation:

"US 89 will be closed for the immediate future as geotechnical experts and ADOT's engineers examine the mountain slope and roadbed to determine the exact cause of the damage, and what steps are required to reconstruct the roadway and get it back into shape for travelers. There is no timetable for reopening the highway.."

My personal guess (as a geologist and amateur road observer) is that they will make as little alteration to the route as they think reasonable and prudent. The farther they move the road alignment, the more it costs them and the more it disrupts those living in the area. Remember that US-89 in the slide area is traversing the Navajo Nation, so any significant change in the alignment will require heavy negotiations.

In the meantime, ADoT is paving N-20 (or BIA-20 on some maps) which is a Navajo tribal road that runs in an almost straight line south from Page to join US-89 about a dozen miles north of Willow Springs AZ. When the paving is finished, this will actually shorten the drive from Page to the US-89/US-160 junction by about five miles, but I absolutely do not expect this to become the permanent solution.

AZBuck

[glc]

For now, it's open during daylight hours only with a 25 mph speed limit. When fencing is completed, it will be open 24/7 with a higher speed limit.

[glc]

US-89T is now open 24/7 with no restrictions, speed limit 55.