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Happy Thanksgiving from the SR 179 Construction Team. |
Sedona, AZ --
Our team would like to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are
all very thankful this year for the opportunity to have worked for
you on this world-class road. There will be no construction work
from Thursday, November 22 through Sunday, November 25.
What to Watch for Thanksgiving Week
Jack’s Canyon and Ridge Trail Roundabouts to Open
Construction crews will be completing the roundabouts at Ridge Trail
and Jack’s Canyon this week. There will be night work on Sunday,
November 18 at Jack’s Canyon and Monday, November 19 at Ridge Trail
to complete the roundabouts and make them operational. All side
roads through the Village of Oak Creek will be open once the
roundabouts are complete and through the end of the week.
How to Drive a Roundabout
There are two important rules to follow when driving a roundabout
1.
Slow down when approaching the roundabout
2.
Yield to the traffic within the circle.
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Click on
image for more information. |
Roundabouts were the intersection type chosen by the Sedona
community in May 2004. Roundabout intersections will be located in
the Village of Oak Creek at Ridge Trail, Jack’s Canyon, Cortez, and
Bell Rock Boulevard, and in the City of Sedona at Back O’ Beyond,
Chapel, Arrow/Morgan, Canyon, and Schnebly Hill Road, along with the
intersection of SR 179 and 89A (the “Y”) and the intersection of
Brewer and 89A near the Post Office.
Roundabouts are designed specifically to slow traffic, and are
drastically statistically safer than traffic signal intersections.
Crashes are reduced by 75% with roundabouts, and fatal accidents are
reduced by 95%. This is due to the slow speed design, as opposed to
traffic signals, where motorists often speed up to try and make a
light and accidents are much more frequent and serious.
The roundabouts are designed for a 40-foot semi-trailer to safely
pass on any turning movement. The roundabout curb and truck apron
are designed to be driven over by a large truck. This has been
happening the past few weeks at Back O’ Beyond, hence the tire marks
on the inner curb and truck apron (please note a truck does have to
slow down to pass through the roundabout, just like a car). The
inner dirt circle will be landscaped.
Fire trucks, including the articulated ladder trucks, can negotiate
the roundabout easier than a semi. ADOT has observed both fire
trucks and semis passing through the roundabouts with no problem, as
well as an ambulance that barely had to slow down. All cars and
pick-up trucks can safely negotiate the roundabout at the
recommended speed of 15 or 20mph without hitting the inner curb.
ADOT has developed educational materials about roundabout
intersections and those materials are available at www.scenic179.com
What to Watch for the Week After Thanksgiving
Crews will resume work in the Village of Oak Creek the Monday after
Thanksgiving, and will work on the roundabouts at Cortez and Bell
Rock Boulevard. Cortez Road will close on the west side of SR 179
the week of November 26 for work on that roundabout and traffic will
be detoured. Detours will be clearly marked.
Driveway work in the Village will continue as well. Driveway crews
are moving from south to north, and team members are visiting with
each business prior to beginning each driveway. Access to all
businesses is open and clearly marked.
Celebration Event in Forest Postponed
ADOT and the contractor are focusing entirely on the completion of
work in the Village of Oak Creek. Work in the forest will resume
once the Village is complete. The celebration event previously
scheduled for December 8 in the forest will be postponed until
Project 1 (south of the Village to Back O’ Beyond) is complete.
Source: ADOT
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