COCONINO COUNTY, Ariz. – A 150-foot segment of Highway 89 near the Utah-Arizona border has been closed due to pavement buckling.
The Arizona Department of Transportation reported the segment of Highway 89, located 25 miles south of Page, Ariz., was broken apart due to a possible “geologic event” Wednesday morning.
Highway 89 is closed northbound at Highway 89A, which takes traffic west toward Jacob Lake. In Page, Ariz., Highway 89 is closed at the junction with state Route 98 and a detour has been established.
The alternate route to Page will take drivers east on Highway 160 to SR 98 and north on SR 98 to the city. It is about 45 miles longer than the direct route.
ADOT crews are on scene and are deploying geotechnical engineers to investigate the cause of the buckling. It is not known at this time how long the road will be closed.
For the latest on highway conditions across Arizona, visit ADOT’s Travel Information site at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1.
View map of the closure area and detour route.
Submitted by: Arizona Department of Transportation
Email: [email protected]
Not sure about the geologic event taking place. Looks more like a slope failure from native material after road cut or fill placed during road construction. Or a combination of both. They’ve got a big mess on their hands either way.
I would say it does look like a ” geologic event” native material does not cause a road to buckle the way that this road did. I thought water damage but water and native material both would cause it to slump not buckle.