An Arizona Department of Transportation project on US 60 east of the Phoenix area is replacing the 70-year-old bridge over Pinto Creek with a nearly 700-foot span designed to better accommodate personal and commercial travel for decades to come.

Traffic restrictions are scheduled to begin Monday on US 60 between Miami and Superior as construction gets underway on the two-year, $22.7 million Pinto Creek Bridge project.

Motorists should plan for lane restrictions and delays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. The restrictions will allow crews to mobilize equipment and begin construction of an access road into Pinto Creek Canyon.

Additional restrictions and closures are tentatively scheduled to begin the week of Oct. 21. Lane restrictions are scheduled from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with full closures of US 60 scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These restrictions and closures are expected to continue for about six to eight weeks.

During the full closures, which will allow crews to conduct blasting to move the highway about 30 feet to the north to align with the new bridge, motorists will detour on State Routes 77 and 177 through Winkelman. This will add at least 45 minutes to the trip between the Globe area and Superior.

Providing consistent days and times for these full closures is designed to help those relying on US 60 to better schedule their travel between the Globe and Phoenix areas.

Additional overnight closures are expected later in the project to place bridge girders and pour the concrete deck for the new bridge. Toward the end of the project, a five-day closure of US 60 will be required to finish realigning the highway with the new bridge.

The new bridge will be 695.5 feet length and supported by three piers. Being built adjacent to the current bridge, which will continue to be used during construction, it will have one lane of traffic in each direction and 8-foot-wide shoulders.

Once the bridge is completed, crews will dismantle the existing bridge, built in 1949 with an estimated lifespan of 50 years. While it remains safe for traffic, the existing bridge doesn’t meet current standards for bridge design used by ADOT, the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials.

Editor's Note: Information from the Arizona Department of Transportation.