The engineering cluster that is the entire Slate Creek area is once again going under the ADOT knife.
The Beeline will be reduced to one lane of traffic in each direction until fall so that crews can once again attempt to prevent the whole area from sliding down the hill.
So, be prepared for slow traffic in the general Sunflower / Mt. Ord / Slate Creek area (about 20 miles south of Payson).
CannondaleKid wrote:Thanks, but I'll take the Beeline over the I-17... in my experience, it's nothing like the traffic & accidents on the I-17.
That's a complete reversal of what things used to be like. I used to rarely go to the rim to avoid the Beeline and the accidents and backups that were pretty much a weekly occurrence. Things are much better now that the Beeline is mostly a divided highway and has at least two lanes in each direction.
It's time to plan and build a new Freeway from the eastern part of Phoenix north to the eastern part of Flagstaff with a major cross road between Payson and Camp Verde. I-17 and SR87 will at some point in time not be able to handle the traffic they were designed for.
A man's body may grow old, but inside his spirit can still be as young and restless as ever.
- Garth McCann from the movie Second Hand Lions
rcorfman wrote:That's a complete reversal of what things used to be like. I used to rarely go to the rim to avoid the Beeline and the accidents and backups that were pretty much a weekly occurrence.
Early 90s every trip home was gridlock in the major metropolis of Sunflower, traffic crawled to Shea
@SuperstitionGuy
chit chat about going with reversible lanes for 125 million in 5 years
hopefully it's a little more intuitive than 7th St
@superstitionguy I've crossed 260 many times between Camp Verde and Payson, and never seen a lot of traffic. My opinion is that the highest priority for Arizona is that after finishing I-10 to three lanes from Phoenix to Tucson, we need three lanes on I-17 from Anthem to Cordes Junction. I rarely use the I-10 corridor, but I understand its priority. After finishing that, it would be nice to kill the inevitable Friday and Sunday backups on I-17.
HAZardous wrote:@superstitionguy I've crossed 260 many times between Camp Verde and Payson, and never seen a lot of traffic. My opinion is that the highest priority for Arizona is that after finishing I-10 to three lanes from Phoenix to Tucson, we need three lanes on I-17 from Anthem to Cordes Junction. I rarely use the I-10 corridor, but I understand its priority. After finishing that, it would be nice to kill the inevitable Friday and Sunday backups on I-17.
I agree on I-17. Lots of people have died on this highway. But expanding the highway would cost $125 million according to ADOT, so the legislature would either have to raise the gas tax (which is one of the lowest in the country) or come up with the money some other way, and that's a non-starter given the ideology of the party in charge and their insistence on cutting taxes every year.
(also not helpful on the traffic problem: Arizona drivers are terrible. I've lived in 15 states now and driven in probably 40, and for me, Arizona has the 2nd worst drivers of anywhere I've ever driven, ranking behind only Washington DC.)
flagscott wrote:Arizona drivers are terrible. I've lived in 15 states now and driven in probably 40, and for me, Arizona has the 2nd worst drivers of anywhere I've ever driven
I feel like this is a topic that likely has numerous scientific studies that can either confirm or deny personal opinions.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
flagscott wrote:Arizona drivers are terrible. I've lived in 15 states now and driven in probably 40, and for me, Arizona has the 2nd worst drivers of anywhere I've ever driven
I feel like this is a topic that likely has numerous scientific studies that can either confirm or deny personal opinions.
Also, there are a lot of assumptions about this theory that fail to take into account that Arizona has a high immigrant population, the claimant himself states has not always lived here, and there are a large percentage of drivers in rental cars on Arizona roads with Arizona plates. I find, out of town drivers who don't know the roads or traffic patterns make driving in Arizona worse. Snowbirds, Tourists, and the like.
Jim_H wrote:there are a lot of assumptions about this theory that fail to take into account that Arizona has a high immigrant population
Unless you are a Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai, Maricopa, Yavapai,etc. etc. this would be one reason we have a very high immigrant population. On the plus side though we will have flying cars long before I-17 is improved.
Jim_H wrote:there are a lot of assumptions about this theory that fail to take into account that Arizona has a high immigrant population
Unless you are a Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai, Maricopa, Yavapai,etc. etc. this would be one reason we have a very high immigrant population. On the plus side though we will have flying cars long before I-17 is improved.
AZ-87 between Fountain Hills and Payson receives about ONE THIRD of the average daily traffic than I-17 does between Anthem and Cordes Junction. (~10,000 vs ~30,000 AADT). I thought that I-17 gets more commercial truck traffic (which I think causes more congestion on hills), but in fact both routes have similar truck rates of about 10% (~1,000 vs ~3,000 AADT for Class 4-13 trucks).
Both roads are two-lane divided highways (each with a short 3-lane segment on a hill). I-17 has a higher speed limit and more shoulder space and exit ramps/interchanges that AZ-87 has less of. But while the Beeline does not have some of the higher-speed features of I-17, one third of the traffic likely produces a less-congested driving experience. On average.
ADOT doesn't break out data for specific times. These are just average daily traffic numbers. Friday and Sunday numbers may be significantly different.
Breezed right through NB last Thursday at 11AM and again today SB @ 7:30AM.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
PHOENIX – Lane restrictions that have been in place for urgently needed repairs (about the 5th time this area has been 'repaired') along State Route 87 south of Payson are being temporarily lifted for the busy Labor Day travel period.
One lane has been closed in each direction between mileposts 223 and 226 so the Arizona Department of Transportation can repair the roadway and drainage systems and stabilize the terrain after sensors detected slight ground movement near Slate Creek, about 25 miles south of Payson.
ADOT crews are scheduled to remove barriers on the left northbound lane the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 29. Restrictions on the left southbound lane are scheduled to be removed by the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 30.
The break comes as crews have finished making repairs to the left lane in each direction. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 6, crews will put concrete barriers back in place to work on the right lane in each direction.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, ankle-twisting, HAZmaster crushing ROCKS!!
Hike Arizona it is full of sharp, pointy, shin-stabbing, skin-shredding plants!
Hike Arizona it is full of striking, biting, stabbing, venomous wildlife!
Restrictions lifted on southbound SR 87 south of Payson
Northbound restrictions continue, project on schedule for completion this fall
September 27, 2017
PHOENIX – Crews will be removing concrete barriers on southbound State Route 87 tomorrow near Slate Creek after completing repairs, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The removal of the barriers will require the closure of the southbound lanes for 20-minute intervals between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Drivers headed to the Valley from the Mogollon Rim area should budget extra travel time and be prepared for delays.
Northbound restrictions will remain in place while crews finish rebuilding the right lane.
One lane has been closed in each direction on SR 87 between mileposts 223 and 226 so ADOT could make repairs to the roadway and drainage systems and stabilize the terrain after sensors detected slight ground movement near Slate Creek, about 25 miles south of Payson.
The project also includes moving nearly 27,000 cubic yards of dirt from the northbound side of the highway farther down the slope to help stabilize the terrain.
This safety project is expected to be completed this fall. For more information, visit azdot.gov/SR87Improvement.
I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.
Plan for lane restrictions on State Route 87 near Sunflower.
The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drivers to plan for lane restrictions as crews do maintenance work on State Route 87 near Sunflower, 5 miles north of the Bush Highway.
SR 87 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction between mileposts 205 and 218 from 7 a.m. to 2:30 Thursday, Feb. 1.
Last edited by hikeaz on Feb 01 2018 8:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
that is the entire Slate Creek area is once again going under the ADOT knife.
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