Valley motorists who spent the past weekend in the cooler high country and were returning to the Valley on Sunday afternoon faced a highway closure on State Route 87 that forced them nearly 100 miles out of their way to get home.
Travelers heading southbound on 87 were detoured onto SR 188 to Globe where they were able to connect to US 60 to get back to the Phoenix area. The Sand Stone fire was the reason for the unplanned highway closure and detour.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has released a reminder to residents that summer fire season can mean unplanned and inconvenient road closures.
According to the release, ADOT sometimes receives questions on social media that ask a variation of: The wildfire isn’t near the highway so why is the road closed?
“ADOT and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management want people to know that the answer is safety — for the traveling public and first responders,” the ADOT statement says.
“When a brush fire ignites, there are a few reasons for a full highway closure or for lane restrictions to be implemented.
“Brush fires can be fast moving and with multiple agencies responding, it can take time to figure out who needs to go where and establish where the fire is spreading. In some instances, the highway will be shut down briefly to allow crews and firefighters the space to assess the situat …
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