The Arizona Department of Transportation today is closing an exit from Interstate 40 on the west side of Seligman for 10 months to repair three old bridges.
However, the agency is going out of its way to tell travelers of another nearby I-40 exit to Seligman and its historic stretch of Route 66.
According to a news release from ADOT:
“ADOT understands there is never a convenient time to do construction work, but we partner with local businesses and communities to do what we can to support them through a project,” said Alvin Stump, district engineer for ADOT’s Northwest District.
ADOT representatives have met with Seligman business owners to listen to concerns and suggestions and to coordinate on ways to let travelers know Seligman will remain accessible from I-40.
The result: Signs on I-40 will direct travelers to exit 123, connecting to the east side of Seligman. ADOT also has produced a brochure and video explaining the project and noting that visitors will be able to reach Seligman from I-40 throughout the project.
“You just have to go two more miles to the next exit,” said Bob LaJeunesse, ADOT resident engineer for the project. “Also, Historic Route 66 will be open east and west, and you can still get to your favorite restaurants and tourist attractions.”
ADOT said the bridges being replaced are 40 to 50 years old and need constant repairs. It said once the project is completed, travelers should expect smoother travel over them for decades.
Road construction never is a good thing for businesses, and Seligman’s likely will see a small drop because of the project. But ADOT’s conduct — especially in trying to tell I-40 travelers of easy alternatives — seems exemplary.
Carthage, Missouri, could have used the same approach from the Missouri Department of Transportation a few years ago when a main Route 66 bridge on the east side of town needed to be replaced. Detours sparked confusion or led travelers away from the Route 66 business district entirely.
And the irony of ADOT going out of its way to placate Seligman businesses is a far cry from 1978, when a I-40 bypass promptly decimated the town’s main district on Route 66.
Longtime barber Angel Delgadillo, upon seeing his town’s core abandoned, helped form the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona and lobbied the state to declare Route 66 a historic highway. Route 66 travelers again became a part of Seligman’s lifeblood.
(Welcome sign outside Seligman, Arizona, by Thomas Hawk via Flickr)