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Much needed road upgrades coming to 51 Road near Williams

Upgrades and maintenance on 51 Road running parallel to Interstate 40 will undergo maintenance by the city of Williams after a recent permit was approved by the U.S. Forest Service. (Loretta Yerian/WGCN)

Upgrades and maintenance on 51 Road running parallel to Interstate 40 will undergo maintenance by the city of Williams after a recent permit was approved by the U.S. Forest Service. (Loretta Yerian/WGCN)

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — A dirt road lying south of Interstate 40 will finally get some maintenance following an agreement between the U.S. Forest Service and the city of Williams.

According to Williams Mayor John Moore, the city of Williams will be making improvements to 51 Road, which lies directly south of Interstate 40, running past Bearizona to the Garland Prairie exit

“The Forest Service is working with us and we are trying to get the issue resolved,” Moore said. “The city is paying for the upgrade to the road through a contractor. We are going to try and bring it up to the standards of a Forest Service road, the requirements that they have.”

Improvements will include grading, re-surfacing and cleaning of the ditches to allow for drainage.

The work, which started last week, is now delayed until the city can work out an agreement following the cutting of trees next to the road by the contractor, which was not covered in the Forest Service permit.

This road has seen an increase in traffic caused by recent construction on the interstate. The maintenance of this road was questioned last month following concerns by locals who were forced to use the road more often. The increase in traffic on the dirt road had caused wash board and potholes on the road.

The road, which splits into 51 and 51A, is mostly a U.S. Forest Service road, although the city said they have graded this road in the past.

After speaking to the Forest Service, the city was able to get a permit to do some work on the road — although that work has some limitations.

“Basically what we’re going to do is file Forest Service recommendations,” Moore said. “We cannot put asphalt on the road, we will not do anything with it but bring it up to Forest Service standards.”

Williams Councilman Frank McNelly, who has been working on getting improvements made to the road for the last year, said the city reached out to Fann Construction to put a milling surface on the road but the Forest Service countered saying their section of 51 Road, which is around one mile of the 1.7 (miles) total, is in the forest. He said the Forest Service has determined through their archaeology department that it would be a detriment to the preservation of Route 66 to pave the road.

“Take that for what it is. It has been paved in the past but that is their current determination that it cannot be milled or improved beyond a graveled/cindered surface,” McNelly said. “Because it would detrimentally impact the preservation of Route 66.”

This means 51 Road will have a cinder and clay mixture that will make it like a hard-surface road.

However, until a settlement with the Forest Service can be reached following the felling of trees next to the road, work will be at a standstill.

“The contractor was working on the road and cut some trees apparently in the road ditch,” Moore said. “The cutting of trees was not covered in the permit. The contractor assumed or however it happened — because they were in the road ditch, thought they were a part of the permit. We are working now to sort out the situation so we can continue with the road.”

Moore said the work has also been stalled because of rainy conditions caused by recent monsoons.

Once work resumes, Moore said crews will be able to drag the sides of the road to the top of the road, lay the new clay/cinder mixture and pack it.

“Once we get that done we’re going to definitely have to figure out a better way to maintain it than we’ve been doing,” he said.

Moore said one question people might have is why the Forest Service has not or is not currently maintaining the road.

“They abandoned the road or unclaimed it, whatever it is they (did) certain years ago. We have been taking care of it over the years and it’s just the road we need now that goes across that east to west section. We don’t need the south (section),” he said.

According to Moore, the city has money on hand to pay for these road improvements and said they have contracted the work out and will also use some city equipment for the repairs.

“We’ll probably spend $100 grand, more or less,” he said.

“This is the first step in doing whatever needs to be done,” McNelly said. “Pulling up the road and making it passable for all-weather travel.”


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