SUPERIOR – Motorists who travel on US 60 between Miami and Superior should plan ahead for about six months of three times-a-week daytime closures starting Wednesday, May 15, as rock blasting begins for a project to replace the Queen Creek and Waterfall Canyon bridges.

When scheduled, the blasting will lead to closures of US 60 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., a schedule the Arizona Department of Transportation designed to provide consistency for those who rely on this highway east of the Phoenix area. Closures are not expected to occur every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday but will be limited to those days.

During closures, motorists will use a detour on state routes 77 and 177 through Winkelman. That roughly 68-mile route includes a 10 percent grade and will significantly increase travel time. Drivers may want to plan trips before or after the full closures because of the potential for delays.

Eastbound US 60 traffic will be redirected at State Route 177 in Superior, and westbound traffic will be redirected at the west end of Miami. Traffic will not be allowed to queue at the closure locations.

Motorists with destinations between Miami and Magma Mine Road will be allowed to pass. No vehicles will be allowed between Superior and Magma Mine Road. 

Drivers should expect lane restrictions and a reduced speed limit at all times in the work zone, along with a 14-foot vehicle width restriction. Please proceed with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment.

The closures are required for the combined $44.7 million project to replace the Queen Creek and Waterfall Canyon bridges with spans designed to handle passenger and commercial traffic for decades to come.

Toward the end of the project, a multi-day closure of US 60 will be required to finish realigning the highway with the new Queen Creek Bridge.

The new Queen Creek Bridge will span 763 feet and feature one lane of travel in each direction with 4-foot-wide shoulders. The replacement structure for the Waterfall Canyon Bridge will span 107 feet.

Once the Queen Creek Bridge is completed, crews will dismantle the existing structure, which opened to traffic in 1949. While the bridge remains safe for traffic, it has reached the end of its lifespan and doesn’t meet current standards for bridge design.

For safety reasons, construction will require closing some areas used by hikers, rock climbers and other recreational areas. In the Queen Creek Bridge area, trails will close from Magma Avenue in Superior to the west of the Claypool Tunnel. The trail through the Claypool Tunnel, heading east past Waterfall Canyon Bridge, will remain open until later in the project when active construction begins in this area. 

In the Waterfall Canyon Bridge area, the US 60 pullout east of the Queen Creek Tunnel will close during the project. Other nearby pullouts may close intermittently. 

For more information, please visit azdot.gov/US60QueenCreekBridgeProject, Also, please visit az511.gov for the most current information on US 60 restrictions or closures.