by Tom Howard
The Arizona Department of Transportation has announced a bid for a project that will affect Vail/Colossal Cave Road and SR 83, Mountain View Interchange. The project is set for bid on February 8th, 2019. The project includes the replacement of the bridge deck on the eastbound Interstate 10 at the Colossal Cave Exit. If you recall, the westbound bridge was completed several years ago. The bridge deck on the SR 83/ Mt. View Bridge will also be replaced. The project a few years ago entailed a full closure of Colossal Cave Road. However, this project will not have a full closure. The contractor will be installing a crossover detour on I-10 that will switch all traffic to the westbound side of I-10; traffic on top of the bridges will be controlled with a one lane traffic setup and will be controlled with a temporary traffic signal for each direction. The traffic will be alternating on the one lane detour. Expect major delays and traffic backups during this project. The project is expected to take 550 calendar days to complete. Get prepared and plan ahead.
Houghton Road/Over Union Pacific Railroad: This project is now completed. Barricades and signage on Houghton are for the new project from the Union Pacific Railroad bridge to I-10
Updates: Union Pacific Railroad I-10 Construction: This project is underway. Temporary concrete barrier has been installed on the west side of Houghton so crews can begin utility work and begin preparing the road surface. The area along Houghton where vehicles parked for carpools is now off limits. This area will be part of the new roadway when complete. Further updates will be coming in the next few weeks.
Traffic Signals/Rita, Kolb & Wilmot at I-10: Roadwork, ramp work and electrical work are ongoing. Please stay alert and obey all traffic control devices.
Wilmot and I-10: This project is now complete. I will be contacting ADOT to see if a final surface of asphalt will be placed on I-10. With the bumps at the bridge deck, that’s what it looks like.
Kolb/Valencia: This project has made its first milestone. Traffic is now shifted on both Kolb and Valencia. Demolition work is underway on the old roadway. Please use caution in this area. There is a lot of activity in the area.
The road work in front of the Amazon warehouse has gone full throttle. There is a detour set up on Valencia so crews can install the box culverts. Please slow down and obey all traffic control devices.
Please email your road construction questions to: highways@thevailvoice.com
