By Cliff Hamilton
SEDONA, AZ (November 19, 2009) - There are those who are afraid of reality and those who
are concerned about the process of installing streetlights on 89A
in west Sedona.
in an attempt to “relieve” the fear of reality, Tom Hartman recently provided some of the questions and responses
between myself and Arizona Department of Transportation from the Council’s streetlights hearing on
Oct. 28 . Although
incomplete and out of context, those questions and answers do
provide major realities that Mr. Hartman chose to overlook.
Let’s
examine my questions, ADOT’s answer and reality one at a time.
Hamilton: “How long will it take to put in the system….?”
ADOT: “About six months max.”
Reality: In ADOT’s initial materials they said it would take about a
year to install the lighting. Now that time has conveniently become
six months. Figure on six months to a year depending on how much
rock they hit digging trenches, weather, funding shortages and
difficulty in getting easements from private business and other land
owners along the way – all things ADOT has not contemplated in any
detail yet.
Hamilton: “How is that trench dug and what kind of equipment do you
use…?”
ADOT: “Sometimes they will trench. Actually a lot of the lighting
systems now are being bored in….”
Hamilton: “By boring you are talking about some sort of horizontal
drill approach…?”
ADOT: “Yes”
Reality: Boring doesn’t work if rock is involved. How many places in
west Sedona can you dig down at least 2 feet and not encounter some
sort of rock? Boring is more expensive than using the usual backhoe
or trenching machine. It can be cost effective only if it allows
avoiding major obstacles like landscaping, other utilities,
roadways, etc. Given the realities of what is under much of west
Sedona, trenching will be the primary approach for installing the
wires and conduits necessary for streetlights. ADOT has not
identified just what methods will be used in this installation and
where. They have not mapped out locations of utilities nor evaluated
the landscape destruction that will take place. They have not
pursued easements. In short they don’t know what it will take in
terms of time, destruction or cost.
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Above is a typical backhoe used for much of the
trenching work done in Sedona. When rock is encountered, a “hammer
hoe” is fitted in place of the bucket and the rock is hammered out.
This type of machine takes a swath 8 to 10 feet wide to move through
as it does its work. |
Hamilton: “What happens to trees when you put a trench through
there?”
ADOT: “I think that what we would need to do through the design
process is identify some of those critical locations as an
avoidance…in the design and construction itself.”
Reality: ADOT will have to get wire and conduits the full length of
both sides of 89A. The notion that you can just “avoid” some areas
due to large trees and other major landscaping in the way is absurd.
Clearly ADOT had not even considered the destruction of large trees
and other major landscaping along 89A during construction. With
typical highway engineer thinking, they give the “stock” answer
believing they can engineer and design away any problem.
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Where does the trench go? A trench even to the right of the sidewalk will sever major roots to these old, established trees and they will very likely die. Take a look next time you drive down west 89A. There are a surprising number of large trees like these along that street and many established smaller ones that will be lost to construction, regardless of how it is done. A trench to the right of the sidewalk also lines up exactly with the trees in the background. Backhoes, trenchers and boring machines dig in straight paths. They are not designed to zig zag to avoid things. Contractors prefer to dig in straight lines because it’s easier to operate the machines. Long metal conduits have to be installed in long straight trenches because they don’t bend very well. |
Councilor Dan Surber: …”Is there a standard agreement as far as
roadways and sidewalks and landscaping to return it to the state it
was before?”
ADOT: “Yes, we do put that in the contract
documents to make sure it’s restored to what it was before…”
Reality: One must really understand ADOT’s
notion of “restored” to understand this answer. Replacing a 12-16
inch diameter tree that is many decades old and that stands 45 feet
high with a 2 inch tree standing 8 feet high meets their notion of
“restored.” Reality is that such mature landscaping and large trees
cannot be “restored,” accept through scores of years of growth - if
new trees can be reestablished on the site at all after construction
has killed them. Replacing mature shrubbery with a few 5 gallon
potted plants will also suffice their definition of “restored” when
in fact it will be a decade or more before any will achieve a
similar appearance to what existed before construction.
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In response to Surber's question above, ADOT has apparently begun to
realize they overlooked a serious issue in the trees and landscaping
that will be destroyed along 89A if they install lights. When asked
at their Library exposition on Nov. 5 about the landscape issue,
ADOT engineer John Harper indicated he was now thinking about
putting the trench down the sidewalks. |
Perhaps readers remember last year the city proposed a sidewalk
along a half mile of Andante at a cost of about $1 million. True,
installing a new sidewalk where one did not exist is more costly
than replacing one after it has been torn up. Realize also there are
over 4 miles of sidewalk involved in this proposed lighting project.
Trenching down the sidewalks may save some landscape, but do the
financial math! Reality is you just can’t get there from here,
except at frightful cost.
Considering the destruction of our dark skies and the ribbon of
light issue, the daytime visual pollution another hundred or more
poles will cause to our scenic vistas, the very small improvement in
safety lights may provide, the losses to businesses due to perhaps a
year of construction and trenching through their driveways, the cost
to our city’s already financially-strapped budget (and it’s getting
worse) plus the waste of millions in state and federal money in an
unwanted project, one can only ask “why”?
ADOT was asked that question on Oct. 28 at the public hearing. Their
only answer was that someone someday might open another bar on 89A
in west Sedona (and some impaired person might wonder into the
street and get hit.)
Falsehoods, exaggeration and misinformation?
Yes, it’s all on the audio of that ADOT meeting, Mr. Hartman.
The opinions and information provided in this article are my own
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or knowledge of other
council members or the city staff.
