To protect driver safety, the Arizona Department of Transportation is moving a mountain on the north side of Interstate 40, about six miles west of Holbrook.
The I-40 Rock-Fall Mitigation Safety Project began last week on westbound I-40 near Joseph City. There, decades of erosion has undermined one of the rocky slopes that dates back to construction of the interstate in northeastern Arizona. Now it’s slowly crumbling onto the shoulder of the busy highway. While a temporary concrete barrier is preventing chunks of rocks and clay from falling into travel lanes, this safety project offers a permanent solution.
Westbound I-40 is narrowed to one lane at milepost 279 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The lane closure will be in place through March, and will allow crews to work safely on the north shoulder.
Drivers should be prepared to merge into the left-hand travel lane and observe reduced speed limits in the work zone.
Crews will use heavy equipment to break up and haul away an estimated 45,000 tons of rocks, dirt and clay–enough to fill a space four feet deep, 900 feet long and 200 feet wide. Because work is occurring off the main highway, however, motorists are cautioned to drive carefully through the work zone and focus on the roadway instead of the construction activity.
