State transportation officials said crews are making “rapid progress” on a project to restore limited public access to several miles of State Route 88.

The project is designed to make the unpaved road suitable for those traveling in high-clearance, four-wheel drive and utility task vehicles, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The $4 million interim project, which is expected to be complete in September, covers five miles of the road damaged by flooding in 2019. In addition to the current project, ADOT continues seeking federal funding for more extensive upgrades, estimated to cost $33.7 million, which would make the highway accessible to other vehicles and better able to withstand storms, officials said.

Since the interim project began July 22 large boulders that blocked SR 88 on a steep section at Fish Creek Hill have been removed. Crews have since broken up the boulders and used the material to fill in eroded areas of the roadway and slope, according to ADOT.

Other work underway now or in the coming weeks includes mitigating rockfall between Fish Creek Hill Overlook and Fish Creek, installing new signs and cleaning and repairing drainage culverts.