After nearly a year and a half of work, with the final
phase of the project within sight, the Arizona Department
of Transportation has indicated that the widening of State
Route 260 will likely not be complete by November as
planned.
“With the weather drastically cooling down due to hurri
–
cane remnants moving across the state, crews have not been
able to place the final layer of paving along SR 260,” wrote
Ryan Harding of the ADOT Office of Public Information
in an email. “The pavement surface needs to be at a certain
temperature in order to lay the pavement down.”
According to Harding, if the pavement surface does not
reach necessary temperatures of 85 degrees some time in
the next few weeks, the project will be put on hiatus for
the winter months, with plans to return to the project in the
spring to add that final layer of pavement when tempera
–
tures are warmer.
In the event of the project being postponed, ADOT
intends to open as much of the road as possible to motorists
during the winter hiatus.
“If a winter hiatus becomes necessary, crews would
ensure the current pavement and striping are set and take
down all construction barriers,” Harding wrote. “All lanes
along the highway would be open to traffic.”
At press time, ADOT representatives were unsure
whether the hiatus would lead to increased costs for the
After nearly a year and a half of work, with the final phase of the project within sight, the Arizona Department of Transportation has indicated that the widening of State Route 260 will likely not be complete by November as planned.
“With the weather drastically cooling down due to hurricane remnants moving across the state, crews have not been able to place the final layer of paving along SR 260,” wrote Ryan Harding of the ADOT Office of Public Information in an email. “The pavement surface needs to be at a certain temperature in order to lay the pavement down.”
According to Harding, if the pavement surface does not reach necessary temperatures of 85 degrees some time in the next few weeks, the project will be put on hiatus for the winter months, with plans to return to the project in the spring to add that final layer of pavement when temperatures are warmer.
In the event of the project being postponed, ADOT intends to open as much of the road as possible to motorists during the winter hiatus.
“If a winter hiatus becomes necessary, crews would ensure the current pavement and striping are set and take down all construction barriers,” Harding wrote. “All lanes along the highway would be open to traffic.”
ADOT representatives said that the hiatus would not lead to increased costs for the project.
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
project.
