U.S. 89 Could Take Two Years To Rebuild

July 10, 2013

Don’t get in any rush to travel U.S. 89 between Flagstaff and Page. The highway rebuilding process is going to take some time.

The Arizona Department of Transportation says it could be more than two years before you can travel the now-closed section of highway.

The department says it plans to rebuild the highway atop a huge new rock retaining wall at the base of a Feb. 20 landslide where the ground slipped out from under U.S. 89.

The pricetag for the project has yet to be established, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. The paper reports the pre-construction processes will take 12 to 18 months, with construction taking another 6 to 18 months.

The Sun reports it would take longer to build a whole new road around the collapse.

A detour now in use adds 50 miles to the trip. A shorter detour, on the Navajo Nation, is being prepared.