The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will be installing the state’s first prefabricated bridge along Oatman Highway, or old Route 66, in Mohave County.
The 110-ft bridge is being manufactured in Phoenix and then will be transported in sections to the site in northwestern Arizona. When completed, the bridge will carry traffic over the Sacramento Wash, about a mile north of I-40 near Topock.
ADOT has already built the support structure needed for the bridge and is currently awaiting installation, which should take place next week. In order to accommodate the work, Exit 1 on I-40 will be closed from 12:01 a.m. on Monday until midnight on Thursday. Drivers heading to Oatman and other parts along the Colorado River will need to go through Needles, Calif.—taking the J Street/downtown exit and following the signs toward Arizona S.R. 95 North/Bullhead City.
According to ADOT, accelerated bridge construction using prefabricated elements saves time and money while it greatly reduces traffic restrictions to days instead of weeks or months.
The total cost of the project is $1.8 million with Mohave County receiving a $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration for the bridge.
