As major wildfires are blazing across big portions of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Transportation is asking motorists to not create more problems and jeopardize their safety by trying to use inaccessible roads.
Some drivers are not taking kindly to workers who have the duty of shutting down roads to keep motorists safe, the agency is reporting.
At least one of the incidents occurred in Payson, as fire crews battle the Backbone Fire that has grown to more than 40,000 acres.
โWhen you have these unexpected closures and people donโt know it or theyโre finding out the last minute, they get upset: โIโve been inconvenienced; donโt you know I have to be such and such a place at such and such a time? Itโs your fault, just open the road,โโ said Doug Nick, an ADOT spokesman. โSometimes people canโt see the problem. It doesnโt exist in their minds, and they wonder why we closed it, and they take it out on one of our folks and make it tough.โ
Workers staffing those roadblocks have been called out as some of the more than a dozen major fires in the state have resulted in closures to portions of roads and highways, including Interstate 10 east of Tucson recently.
โOur guys are out there rain or shine, snow or fire, keeping our community safe,โ Nick said.
However, ADOT does not decide when roads are shut down. That responsibility falls to fire incident commanders, the Transportation Department said.
โWhen you have something like what weโre dealing with now with the wildfires, obviously, itโs a life and safety issue for a lot of people. You have in many cases, people who live in a community who have been told to evacuate for their safety,โ Nick said. โAt some point, maybe they hear the fire has changed for better or worse, and they want to go back to check on their place or they forgot something that they really wanted, and itโs not up to ADOT workers to make those calls.โ
Those incident commanders, in turn, work with ADOT and law enforcement officials to ensure access is maintained for firefighters, evacuate residents and keep drivers from entering dangerous situations.
โThe last thing we want to do is close the road. We would rather be doing other things than that. If itโs closed, thereโs a very good reason,โ Nick said. โSometimes the road is closed well ahead of the problem. We donโt want you going several miles down the road only to turn around and come back because there are no other roads that branch off to take you someplace else.โ
A driver could also face legal penalties for attempting to get around a barrier or other method used to close a road, ADOT said.
โYou will occasionally get people who live in the area that just are very stressed out for obvious reasons, and they want to get past a closure so they can check on their personal property. But if itโs not safe, we donโt want to lose a life because somebody had to go check on that. As understandable as that is,โ Nick said.
Down the Road
License plate production caught up
The stateโs Motor Vehicle Division is now producing and delivering license plates in the typical timeframe, following a temporary halt in license plate production because of an aluminum supply-chain issue, ADOT says.
The agency first reported the disruption in June after a scheduled delivery of aluminum was not received and there were no materials in stock for production.
Customers with specific questions can visit an MVD office or call 602-255-0072.
Overnight delays along I-10, Houghton Road
Motorists using the I-10, Houghton Road interchange should expect overnight delays this week as a crew works on the new bridge.
Crews will reroute one direction of I-10 over the entrance and exit ramps between 9:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. each night.
Houghton will remain open, however, but delays of up to 15 near the ramps should be expected. Law enforcement personnel will direct traffic through the intersections.
Ina Road repairs
Motorists should expect minor delays as crews work on one lane of Ina Road between Camino de la Tierra and Shannon Road.
Crews will shut down the left eastbound, inside lane of Ina Road to adjust the pavement around manholes.
Motorists should use caution in the area.
Contact Star reporter Shaq Davis at 573-4218 or sdavis@tucson.com
On Twitter: @ShaqDavis1
