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Utah Travel Headlines

Monday, March 04, 2013

Highway 89 Closed Indefinitely South Of Lake Powell

A section of US Highway 89 that buckled and collapsed about 25 miles south of Page, Arizona, remains closed to traffic in both directions and officials now say it may be months before the road is repaired and reopened.

Hwy 89 is a major north/south artery running through Utah and northern Arizona. It is the primary highway providing access to the Wahweap area on Lake Powell. If you are coming to the lake from Utah there is no problem because the road damage is south of the lake. If you are trying to reach the lake from the south, you will need to detour around the damage and that will add about 45 minutes to your drive time.

If you are not heading to the lake but just need to travel 89 north or south, you will need to use Hwy 89A (over Lees Ferry and the Kaibab).

This news article has details about the road damage, and a map showing the detours. Here's a quote:

In the early morning hours of Feb. 20, an apparent landslide ripped through a section of US 89 along a mountain slope about 25 miles south of Page, buckling more than 150 feet of the roadway and tearing the pavement up in six-foot-high sections.

The significant roadway damage forced the Arizona Department of Transportation to immediately close a 23-mile stretch of the highway (mileposts 523-546) between the US 89A junction near Bitter Springs to the State Route 98 junction.

Don't cancel any Lake Powell plans. Just avoid the damaged roadway.

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