Arizona 264 widening may take 10 years

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — It’s a good news, bad news situation.

The good news is that the Arizona Department of Transportation plans to widen Arizona Highway 264 between Kinlichee Road and Summit.

The bad news? It could take 10 years, according to ADOT’s project developer Kee Yazzie.

Yazzie and ADOT’s Elijah Williams presented several alternative plans to members of the Transportation and Community Development Committee. A formal recommendation will be presented during a future public meeting, Williams said.

One reason the project could take a decade to complete is that more rights of way may have to be negotiated, Williams said.

“I believe you have enough rights of way to build a four-land highway,” TC/DC’s Johnny Naize said.

“Ten years? It seems quite long,” committee member Omer Begay Jr. agreed. “I’d like to see it done in a year or two.”

There are several options, but the costliest — and most lengthy — will be if it’s determined that more right of way yardage is necessary, Williams said. When the current route was put in, there was barely enough room to fit it in because of the limited rights of way, he added.

“I don’t believe there will be a hassle in getting the rights of way,” Begay said.

Certain parts of the project need time to develop, Yazzie said. It would take about two years just to conduct a feasibility study before construction begins, Yazzie added.

Then, if the project moves forward, it gets thrown into a pool with other state-planned projects for more consideration, Yazzie said.

“It’s competing with all the other projects in the state,” Yazzie explained.

Because there is already a road existing, he didn’t see the need to do a two-year feasibility study, TC/DC’s Jerry Bodie said. And, needing 10 years seems unrealistic, he added.

“What do you have to do, build it inch by inch on your knees?” Bodie wondered.

Maybe the project could be accelerated to some degree, but there still has to be a time frame for public comments, Williams said.

“I think the process is pretty sound in making sure everybody is heard,” Williams said. “The process is the same from Window Rock to Yuma to Hoover Dam.”

The goal is to improve the 13.6-mile portion of Arizona 264 going toward Ganado, to increase the capacity to handle increased traffic and improve safety, Yazzie said.

One alternative being considered would convert the current roadway into westbound lanes, and construct two new eastbound lanes, Yazzie said. But this would require another 40 feet of rights of way, he added.

TC/DC Chairman Sampson Begay said the committee would study this project further.

John Christian Hopkins can be reached at hopkins1960@hotmail.com