PRESCOTT - Beginning Monday - and continuing for the next two months - the hills along Highway 89A near Side Road will be the site of "aggressive dirt-moving" work.
Gary Hudder of Asphalt Paving & Supply reports that his company has now mobilized its equipment and has done much of the preparation work necessary to move on to the next phase of the Highway 89A/Side Road (Granite Dells Parkway) interchange construction project.
Along with the 60 days of cut-and-fill work, which should begin in earnest next week, the project will include more than a year of bridge construction. Hudder said the entire interchange should be complete by early April 2011.
Asphalt Paving & Supply won the $17 million contract for the interchange project in October, after months of litigation that also involved the city and the nearby developer, Granite Dells Estates Properties.
The settlement of the lawsuit set the stage for the Prescott City Council's approval in early November of the $17 million expenditure.
Soon afterward, a pre-construction meeting occurred between the construction company, the city, and the Arizona Department of Transportation. Hudder said he received the final notice to proceed on Nov. 23.
Since then, crews have been moving in equipment, installing barricades and signs, and clearing and grubbing the land near the current Side Road exit.
Hudder said preliminary work also involved installation of a temporary 14-inch aboveground waterline that will carry effluent (treated wastewater) to the project from a tie-in at the city's Antelope Hills Golf Course.
The construction project will use as much as one million gallons of effluent a day, Hudder said.
Officials say the water, which will come from the city's store of treated wastewater, is necessary to achieve the appropriate moisture in the dirt to ensure the proper compaction density.
During the next two months, Hudder expects crews to move 12,000 to 15,000 cubic yards of dirt a day - for a total of about 700,000 cubic yards.
Workers also have moved in stacks of 24-inch and 36-inch culverts, which they will use for drainage.
To accommodate the construction work, the speed limit on the highway has dropped to 55 miles per hour. But Hudder said many drivers have not heeded the new signs.
"We are very, very concerned about speed," Hudder said. To help slow things down, he said Asphalt Paving & Supply has talked with ADOT about bringing in photo radar.
In addition, Hudder noted that because barriers have eliminated the highway's shoulder, bicycling is dangerous through the construction zone.
The project also has temporarily affected the parking area at the north trailhead of the Peavine Trail, off Side Road.
Because the construction must go through the previous parking area, City Parks and Trails Superintendent Eric Smith said the city's parks and recreation and public works departments worked together to designate a temporary parking space just south of the previous area.
A new, larger parking area that will be closer to Highway 89A will be a part of the interchange project, Smith said.
Throughout the project, the City of Prescott will have staff members on the site to inspect the work as it occurs. City Engineering Services Director Mark Nietupski said he has assigned a city project manager and two inspectors to the job. In addition, he said, ADOT's liaison for the project will be on hand.
Meanwhile, the city still is working on the financing to pay for the project.
Budget and Finance Director Mark Woodfill reported that the Prescott Municipal Property Corporation would meet at 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at Prescott City Hall to consider issuing debt to cover the cost of the interchange.
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Article comment by:
Tina Thompson
It's sad that these angry comments are made by people who don't take the time to find out what the plan is, and to realize that it's good to see people with jobs! I'm sure they will happily use the highway when finished. Highways are built because of increased population. Don't like it? Don't live here. It's that easy
Posted: Sunday, December 06, 2009
Article comment by:
PhotoRadarScam
Why bring in cameras? Why not ask DPS or police to patrol the area a bit more? I'll just put on a monkey mask and the cameras can't do a thing. Besides, cameras tend to INCREASE accidents, so I don't know why anyone would want the public to have more accidents.
Posted: Sunday, December 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Out of Options
So we have to put up with construction on 89A for the next couple of years because we all know that these projects finish on time, right? And the 89 bridge over Granite Creek is going to be a career. On top of that I saw about a week ago that they are going to start on the new median barriers on 69 by Victorian Estates soon. Ya know Blood Alley that isn’t Blood Alley anymore now that everyone drives at a crawl. Excuse me but does any one of the Einstein’s in charge think that cutting off Prescott from the rest of the world is really the way to go here. Not to mention all of us that need to commute on a regular basis. Just one more sharp stick in the eye for local business and Tourism.
Posted: Saturday, December 05, 2009
Article comment by:
Angry white conservative
What a glareing waste of taxpayer dollars! Does ANYONE wonder why the State and Federal governments are in such financial peril?
Keep spending like drunken fools, we voters are watching closely. You WILL hear us at the next election!
Posted: Saturday, December 05, 2009
Article comment by:
Benjamin
What a giant waste of much needed cash. ADOT you should be ashamed!
Posted: Saturday, December 05, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
Why did they start on Side Rd. when Viewpoint Dr. is still killing people. Shouldn't you finish what you started first.
Posted: Saturday, December 05, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
thats good, the city said go ahead with the prodject and they don't even have the money to fund it! well that seems to be a smart move for AP&S, use their own money till the city gets their heads out you know where, and gets the money to pay for. IF THE MONEY ISNT THERE DON'T BUILD OR WHATEVER THEN!!! can anyone say OBAMA, STUPID!
