GLOBE, Ariz. — Those who travel on U.S. 60 between Superior and Miami should start planning for a full five-day closure of the highway.
Beginning Sept. 12 at 10 p.m. the Arizona Department of Transportation will work 24 hours a day to realign the roadway to meet with the new Pinto Creek Bridge. The work will continue through Sept. 17 at noon, according to ADOT.
During the five-day closure, motorists should expect an extra hour of travel and a 10% grade of traffic detoured onto state routes 77 and 177 through Winkleman, according to a news release from ADOT. Superior's eastbound traffic will be directed onto SR 177 and westbound traffic will be redirected at the west end of Miami.
If your destination is a part of the closed segment of U.S. 60 you will be allowed to pass the closure points but you won't be allowed between Top of the World and Pinto Valley Mine Road, according to the news release.
ADOT said it has worked to minimize the impact of the bridge replacement project but the extended closure is required due to work involved with shifting the highway roughly 30 feet and raising it 8 feet to align with the new structure.
The work that will be done during the closure represents a significant milestone in the two-year, $22,700,000 project to replace the 72-year-old bridge, according to ADOT. When traffic is shifted onto the nearly 700-foot-long bridge, construction crews will start removing the old structure and restoring the project site.
Divers should expect a four-hour closure in October when crews take down the old bridge, according to ADOT.
A rendering of the new bridge is below.
