Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has scheduled full closures on a portion of State Route 88, also known as Apache Trail, for paving work. These closures will affect an 11-mile segment west of Theodore Roosevelt Dam and are set to occur over several dates from April 8 to May 8. Each closure will last 48 hours, running from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. Thursday on April 8-10, April 15-17, April 29-May 1, and May 6-8. Additionally, a longer 72-hour closure is planned from 7 a.m. Monday, April 21, through 7 a.m. Thursday, April 24.

The closure stretches from the entrance to Apache Lake at milepost 229.9, located at Forest Service Road 79, to just west of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook at milepost 240.5. This is part of an $18 million project overseen by ADOT in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Highway Administration. The project started in late 2022 and falls under the Arizona Federal Lands Access Program. It includes paving a previously gravel stretch of the highway and updating damaged drainage systems. There will also be enhancements to sight lines at various points.

Despite the closures, access to the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook will remain available via State Route 188. While State Route 88 will be accessible from the Phoenix area moving east, the steep, unpaved section between Fish Creek Vista (milepost 222) and Fish Creek Bridge (milepost 223.5) is restricted to high-clearance four-wheel drive and utility terrain vehicles, with trailers prohibited.