PHOENIX – A stretch of northbound State Route 87 between the Phoenix and Payson will be closed or narrowed from Sunday night until Wednesday morning, state transportation officials said.

Crews will remove boulders and debris from a rockslide that occurred next to the highway earlier this year. The work will occur between Bush Highway and State Route 188.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has scheduled northbound SR 87 closures from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights with restrictions ending by 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 2.

While the northbound closures are in place, drivers from the Phoenix area can consider detouring on eastbound US 60 to Globe and using westbound SR 188. Northbound I-17 to eastbound SR 260 (Camp Verde area) is another alternate route, ADOT officials stated in a release.

At times when northbound SR 87 is not closed, the highway will be narrowed to one lane near the work zone north of Sunflower. Southbound SR 87 also will be narrowed to one lane at times in the work area.

Large equipment being used for debris removal include a specialized excavator, front loaders and dump trucks, according to ADOT.