Drivers on US 160 face months of delays in major roadwork projects
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
Traffic moves along U.S. Highway 160 northeast of Tuba City near the Rare Metals area, where a major pavement preservation project is underway. The work is part of an Arizona Department of Transportation project that will bring lane restrictions and delays on the corridor into fall 2026.
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Drivers along U.S. Route 160 near Tuba City can expect months of lane restrictions and delays as a pavement preservation project gets underway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Courtesy | Arizona Department of Transportation
The Arizona Department of Transportation is leading the work in cooperation with the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe. The project spans mileposts 321 to 335 and is scheduled for completion in fall 2026.
Crews will remove and replace the top layer of pavement, apply pavement treatments and make other roadway improvements along the corridor. The work also includes replacing guardrails, repairing concrete drainage channels, repairing headwalls and culverts, extending concrete box culverts, adding erosion control measures, replacing select signs and signposts, installing new pavement markings and adding rumble strips.
Construction will affect both multi lane and two-lane sections of the highway. In the multi lane sections in Tuba City, drivers will see lane closures and lane shifts. In the two-lane sections east of Tuba City, traffic will be reduced to one lane with alternating eastbound and westbound travel guided by flaggers and a pilot car.
Work hours will vary by roadway segment. In the multi lane sections in Tuba City, crews are scheduled to work from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until noon on Fridays. In the two-lane sections east of Tuba City, work is scheduled from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until noon on Fridays, according to ADOT.
ADOT advises drivers to plan for delays while the work is underway.
Courtesy | Arizona Department of Transportation
Farther east, a separate U.S. 160 pavement rehabilitation project between Dennehotso and Mexican Water is set to resume this month after a winter shutdown. That project covers about 24 miles in far northeast Arizona and carries a cost of $19.7 million, according to ADOT.
The Dennehotso project includes removing and replacing the top pavement surface in both directions between mileposts 416 and 440. Crews will also replace bridge rail on Walker Creek Bridge near the Mexican Water Trading Post with concrete barrier, replace guardrail, install centerline rumble strips, build up shoulders, replace cattle guards and pave turnouts within ADOT right of way. The project will finish with a chip seal treatment and new permanent pavement markings.
During construction in that corridor, U.S. 160 will be reduced to one lane in segments with alternating eastbound and westbound travel. Flaggers and a pilot car will direct traffic through the work zone. Work is scheduled from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with no work planned on weekends or holidays, according to ADOT.
A 12-foot vehicle width restriction will be in place during paving operations in the Dennehotso area. According to ADOT, traffic restrictions and closures will be posted as information becomes available, and schedules are subject to change because of weather or other unforeseen factors.
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