Union Pacific to begin work on railroad crossing
Starting Friday night, the John Wayne Parkway (SR347) railroad crossing in Maricopa will be closed as improvement work begins. The work is part of a multi-state double-tracking project on Union Pacific Railroad’s (UPRR) Sunset Route.
The SR347 work will be done in two phases beginning this weekend. Phase1 starts Friday night (November 20th) at 8:00 pm. The crossing will be completely closed until Monday morning (November 23rd) at 6:00 am. All traffic will be detoured between Honeycutt Road and Edwards Avenue to a "shoofly" detour over the tracks, approximately 250 feet west of highway crossing. Crews will work around the clock to complete all railroad related work, including adding a second track and upgrading the train’s signal system.
Phase 2 starts immediately after the weekend work. SR347 will be restricted to one lane in each direction for an additional six weeks for repaving and curbing improvements. The shoofly detour will be closed to the public, but will still be available for emergency responders’ use. The target date for work completion is January 11th, 2010.
City of Maricopa officials urge all drivers to be patient with these construction restrictions. Farrell Road, between SR347 and Porter Road, has been paved and will be open to the public as the primary alternate route. The City urges everyone to look at the alternate route map below and plan your trips appropriately in order to minimize inconvenience. In many cases left hand turns will be impractical so it is advised to and try to use signaled intersections to make left hand turns.
The City is also encouraging all drivers to support our local schools’ efforts to transport students to and from school during this period. They ask that you please allow any buses trying to enter or merge into traffic the opportunity to do so, in order to allow them to stay on schedule. At certain times of the day, Flagmen will give priority access to buses on key runs.
For additional information, contact the City of Maricopa at (520) 568-9098 or on the web at www.maricopa-az.gov.
Alternative routes around SR347 railroad crossing construction. (Click to enlarge)
Click here for a detailed view of Phase 1 construction plans.
Click here for a detailed view of Phase 2 construction plans.
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Maricopa drivers facing major traffic restrictions
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