Construction Equipment Guide
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Sat February 24, 2001 - West Edition
For years, motorists driving on the narrow, two-lane roadway along Arizona Highway 87 in Sunflower did so at their own risk. Many knew that it was reputed to be one of the state’s most dangerous thoroughfares. The beauty of the surrounding countryside belied the danger of the stretch of road, known as the Beeline Highway.
In an effort to reduce the number of accidents on the Beeline Highway, a massive project was devised to widen the highway into a four-lane, divided superhighway. The result — one of the state’s largest highway realignment projects involving one of the largest Shotcrete aggregate, applications in the country.
The project required 7,000 cu. yds. (5,352 cu m) of Shotcrete aggregate, a cement-like material. It was used as a reinforcing material along the remaining 7 mi. (11.3 km) of the entire 75-mi. (120.7 km) stretch of the Beeline running through the Mazatzal Mountains. The stretch is known as the “Sunflower Bypass.”
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) spokesman Matt Burdick, safety dictated the need for widening the highway. “We were concerned about safety,” Burdick said. More people began moving into the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, creating more fast-moving traffic along the scenic corridor and more accidents resulted. “The population has been growing in the Phoenix area, so more and more people are using Highway 87 to get from the Valley to Payson, in northern Arizona.” The road is referred to as the “Beeline Highway because it’s a straight route to northern Arizona. The entire construction cost is part of ADOT’s 5-year state highway construction program. The Sunflower Bypass costs $55 million and is a combination of state and federal highway funds. “Every highway construction program must be in the 5-year program before construction begins,” said ADOT spokesman Walt Gray. “The 5-year program is updated annually.”
Originally slated to open by March 2001, the current timetable has been moved back to late March or early April due to the recent rainstorms in the area, according to Gray.
The project wraps up the 31-year transformation from a former dirt road into a four-lane highway that many hope will make the Beeline safer. This is a joint effort between Arizona-based highway construction contractors Meadow Valley Contractors, R. E. Monks Construction and ADOT, the Beeline’s owners.
Between mile post marker 218 and 226 in Sunflower, there were 216 motor vehicle accidents between 1995 and the year 2000. “That was about 45 accidents per year,” Gray said. “That included about five head-on crashes and four fatalities out of the 261 crashes.”
The Beeline was first paved in 1958, slashing the four-hour, southbound drive from Payson to the Valley in half. The first expansion to four lanes came in 1969.
As increased traffic volume gave way to more accidents on the northbound side, a new road was needed to handle the increase in traffic through the area.
In August 1998, the massive undertaking began in earnest when the road through the Tonto National Forest had to be dynamited to make way for the expansion. Trees were removed from 13 mountainsides followed by the blasting of those mountainsides.
Four million cubic yards of rock were blasted from the cliffs and crushed into stone to create the base for the pavement.
This new alignment connects the expansion with State Route 188, a more direct route to Payson. The construction of 10 new bridges required the use of Shotcrete as an aggregate base to support the retaining walls. Before the Shotcrete was sprayed onto the retaining wall area, soil nails had to be driven 100 ft. (30.5 m) into the bare wall to stabilize and hold the aggregate.
Reinforcing the slope of the newly carved elevations also called for large amounts of Shotcrete, said Bill Kelton, chief estimator of R. E. Monks Construction Company of Fountain Hills, AZ. “Shotcrete is the best material for the job,” Kelton said. According to Rob Bottcher, Monks’ area manager for Arizona, approximately 150 to 200 people worked on the project.
Incorporating the area’s environmental splendor into the final stages of the project, ADOT’s engineers came up with a plan to create an artificial rock wall of Shotcrete resembling an authentic rock wall. Bringing this idea to fruition required staining the wall face with a natural, dark green color that would blend in with the natural rock formations of the surrounding environs.
Mickey Garner, president of Shotcrete Specialties, said the Shotcrete material is pneumatically sprayed on using a Putzmeister Katt-Kreter pump. Shotcrete Specialities of Gilbert, AZ, was the subcontractor for the work. “This was a big application,” said Garner. “It’s smooth and it has flexibility. It’s faster with a smoother stroke.” Garner added that because of the size of the pump, it can be operated by one person.
During the construction work, native plants were dug up, but not discarded. They were saved, relocated and replanted. “We wanted to keep the area in a natural state as much as possible,” said Burdick.
During the planning stages of the project, ADOT’s environmental department worked closely with the U.S. Forest Service regarding the highway project and the sensitive reparian areas. “The U.S. Forest Service wanted the project to blend the surrounding environment into the adjacent forest and to have minimal impact on the environment,” said Gray. “The need to meet federal guidelines was unique and necessary.”
When the new bypass is open to the public, veteran drivers who remember the narrow, two-lane road might be impressed with the finished product. Floyd Roehrich, an ADOT project manager, said that the environment was a special consideration while the project was on the drawing table. He recalled how driving along the Beeline was treacherous and that new construction would make the road safer. “Especially at night,” he said. “There were no shoulders. During the weekends as people were driving back to the Valley and traffic congestion started, some people had flat tires. It caused problems because people had no place to pull over. The new alignment opens in two phases. In late March, or early April, the northbound lane will be ready to carry two-way traffic. Once the new road completely opens, crews will begin dismantling portions of the old route. “The old road will be reused as a service road for the people of Sunflower,” said Kelton.
With the opening of every new mile of road along the Beeline, ADOT has seen a drop in the number of accidents.