Grand Canyon Times

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has canceled a planned 48-hour closure on State Route 88, which was intended for this week. The closure was part of a larger paving project on an 11-mile section of the Apache Trail, located west of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam. It was initially scheduled to occur between April 8 and April 10.

ADOT has announced that other closures will still take place later this month and continue into May. These will start at milepost 229.9, near the entrance to Apache Lake at Forest Service Road 79, and extend to just west of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook at milepost 240.5.

The remaining 48-hour closures are planned to occur from 7 a.m. on Tuesdays to 7 a.m. on Thursdays on the following dates: April 15-17, April 29-May 1, and May 6-8. Additionally, a lengthier 72-hour closure is scheduled from 7 a.m. on Monday, April 21, to 7 a.m. on Thursday, April 24.

These closures are part of an $18 million project overseen by ADOT, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Highway Administration. The initiative commenced in late 2022, aiming to pave the highway's gravel sections and update drainage features impaired or damaged by floods. Sight lines at various points are also set to be improved.

During these closures, visitors will still be able to reach the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook via State Route 188. State Route 88 will remain accessible from the Phoenix area when heading east. Notably, the path between Fish Creek Vista (milepost 222) and Fish Creek Bridge (milepost 223.5) is suitable only for high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles and utility terrain vehicles, with trailers prohibited.