Before the Arizona department of transportation can move forward with a design to repair the damaged section of US 89 south of Page, the agency needs to determine the mountain slope has stabilized.
ADOT received environmental clearance and geotechnical engineers began drilling shafts to deploy equipment called inclinometers beneath the ground surface. These plastic pipes will measure slope movement at a specific location.
ADOT is also using other tools to learn what’s happening underneath the foundation of US 89, including three-dimensional laser scanners, to map the landslide from the ground, and an aerial digital terrain map created by flying above the ground.
US 89 will remain closed for the immediate future. There is no timetable to reopen the highway, which has approximately 500 feet of damage, including 150 feet of pavement that settled four-to-six feet due to a landslide and failure of the slope.
Travelers are using US 89a and other local highways to bypass the damaged area.