Sedona AZ (May 1, 2020) – Drivers in Sedona will soon notice temporary modifications to the roundabout at the intersection of State Route 89A and State Route 179.
The temporary changes to the Y Roundabout, which will be put in place during the week of May 4, are being made as the Arizona Department of Transportation and city of Sedona work together to enhance safety and improve mobility through this high-traffic area.
The following are the temporary modifications being made to northbound SR 179 as part of the SR 89A – SR 179 Roundabout Improvement project:
- For northbound SR 179 drivers approaching the roundabout:
- The right lane will become a right-turn only lane that will take motorists to uptown Sedona.
- The left lane will allow drivers to make “through turning movements” from the roundabout – whether turning left toward west Sedona or continuing straight to hotel properties and nearby shops and restaurants.
As part of the temporary changes, ADOT crews will install additional signage to designate which travel lane drivers should use to get to their destinations from both 89A and SR 179.
The trial modifications will be in place through mid-summer to help state and city traffic engineers gauge the benefits of modifying turning movements for drivers on SR 179 and SR 89A. The results of this trial period will be used to assist in determining the possible permanent improvements to the roundabout.
Construction of the permanent modifications to the roundabout is not expected to begin until summer 2021.
Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other unforeseen factors. For more information, please call the ADOT Bilingual Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or go to azdot.gov/contact and select Projects from the drop-down menu. For real-time highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except while driving.
2 Comments
I hope this old “Y” modification of right lane only to Uptown works.
It happens all top often that vehicles in the Left lane still turn Right whether a car is in the right lane or not.
Both roundabouts at the “Y’ need the Lane Arrows repainted too on the street surface. It is still typical that vehicles turn Left from the Right lanes
Mike J
Sedona
Of all the stupid modifications this one takes the prize. The geniuses on the city council and our illustrious “traffic” engineer could give a damn about the rest of the city residents who live south of these roundabouts in all the subdivisions off of SR179 and make REAL trips into West Sedona for doctor appointments, shopping and all the other services that a city needs that are NOT located on SR179. West Sedona is OUT business district. The tourists are not going to be thrilled either at another CITY INDUCED bottleneck. You think that all tourists go to uptown? Ludicrous.
In ADDITION our “traffic engineer” personally told me that traffic never backs up from Forest Road to SR179. If he would come out from under his desk once in awhile during normal tourist weekends and spring break months he would learn that this is not true. Another question is why it was EVER decided to put two lanes SOUTH out of the canyon into Uptown instead of TWO lanes NORTHBOUND out of uptown to clear 179 and 89A of tourist traffic headed up the canyon. But that would benefit local citizens – and that is not in the majority of the councils best interests. Another brainless maneuver.
Of course there was ZERO consideration of the semi traffic that comes up SR179 and goes into West Sedona EVERY day and more than often due to their length and structure take BOTH lanes to negotiate the double roundabout, not to mention large RVs towing vehicles.
The number of times that I personally , along with 100s of other residents, work trucks and general traffic that use BOTH lanes off of SR179 to go to the LEFT because they are going to the HAYATT, the ONLY Post Office that serves ALL the residents south of the roundabouts and to West Sedona is absolutely amazing. If the objective is to lock up SR179 by forcing residents AND tourists into ONE lane off SR179 and to substantially INCREASE traffic onto Ranger and Brewer you will succeed.
I do not believe at all that the majority of this city council or city management cares one bit about the residents. All decisions with our tax money are focused on everyone BUT the residents, especially those of us who live south of the Y.
But if your objective is to drive us to the Village, an area that is getting better shopping and great restaurants, then you are doing a terrific job.
All these “brainless plans” coming from a government organization that after 8 months can’t even repair a guard rail on Airport Road after notification that has caused $10 of thousands of dollars in damage to countless vehicles.
We get what the majority voted for. Incompetence.