YUMA, Ariz- Governor Doug Ducey recently issued emergency federal funds that will grant the Arizona Department of Transportation $2 million in funding to cover the initial costs to re-open Highway 89. It will also cover the long-term repairs to restore the highway to it’s original condition after a severe weather storm caused major damage to the roadway.
Public Information Officer, Dustin Krugel with Arizona Department of Transportation said, “We had to close down the highway for approximately 24 hours to clear out the mud and flood and even had some boulders that were about 15 feet in diameter that traveled more than two miles from the nearby the cliff.”
Krugel says due to the remote location and low traffic volumes, there have been little to no delays in this area. With around only 500 vehicles passing through a day.
Krugel adds, “Currently we have one lane of traffic at mile post 551 which is about 12 miles west of Marble Canyon. Fortunately this is a very remote location of the state so the traffic volumes in this area are particularly low.”
The Federal Highway Administration’s Emergency Relief Program reimburses state and local agencies for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads and bridges that are damaged in natural disasters and catastrophic failures.