One dead after Rte. 89 washout

By Krista Allen
Special to the Times

CAMERON, Ariz.

A woman is dead after heavy rains on Wednesday night caused damage to a section of U.S. Route 89 between mileposts 471 and 472.

The incident happened about 9 miles south of the junction of Route 89 and 160 around 11:30 p.m., according to Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Mike Wischmann.

The victim’s name had not been released as of Thursday morning.

“It appears that the road began to collapse, and one vehicle went through the portion that was starting to collapse, disabling it,” Wischmann told the Navajo Times on Thursday morning at the incident site.

“A second vehicle came in,” he said. “The driver from the first vehicle was out of her disabled vehicle and the other vehicle that came through also went through the damaged area and (the first driver) subsequently was struck and killed.”

Arizona State Troopers responded to the incident about 11:37 p.m. and closed both the southbound and northbound lanes from mileposts 467 and 481, according to Arizona DPS.

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” Wischmann said, “but obviously there’s a lot of damage from the water. There was a huge rainstorm that came through here last night and it flooded the area tremendously. Flash flooding is a bad thing in Arizona.”

The alternate route to get around the closure will add around 190 miles to a motorist’s trip. The alternate route uses Interstate 40, then to State Routes 87 and 264, and to U.S. Route 160.

The Navajo Nation president’s office on Thursday afternoon declared a state of emergency for the Western Agency due to the washout of U.S. 89.

This is the second route closure within the last five years. The last Route 89 collapse happened February 2013 in Bitter Springs, Arizona, closing a section of the highway near the Big Cut. The road was repaired in March 2015.

The latest report card on the state’s road infrastructure is a D-plus, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

“The washout and closure of Highway 89 last night proves the desperate need for investment in our infrastructure,” said Lena Fowler, supervisor for Coconino County’s District 5. “Public safety and the movement of goods and commerce demand a transportation network that is well funded and maintained.”

Fowler pointed out that the county is a leading advocate for more funding in the transportation system and is investing in road infrastructure.

“This incident points out the need for expanded funding in our state road system from the federal and state government,” Fowler told the Times, “and support by lawmakers for funding that prevents these types of accidents and unnecessary delays of traffic.”

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