Scenic Drive to Face Periodic Closures

Date: August 25, 2015
Contact: Scott Babinowich, 520-387-6849 extension 7304

Ajo, Az – Beginning this month, the Ajo Mountain Scenic Drive will face periodic closures as sections of the road are upgraded. Currently, closures are not expected to last beyond one day at a time as crews prepare the road for upgrades.

The Ajo Mountain Drive is a 21 mile scenic drive that crosses numerous washes.During the summer monsoons the washes can run incredibly fast and destroy the dirt road quickly. The National Park Service will be paving several wash crossings to prevent erosion and damage to the road bed.

The road is narrow and winding, making repairs difficult. The heavy equipment required to prepare the water crossings will have to block the entire road and travel the road against the flow of traffic, requiring temporary closures to ensure visitor safety. The North and South Puerto Blanco scenic roads offer great alternatives when the Ajo Mountain Drive is closed.

Closure notifications will be made through the park's website, www.nps.gov/orpi, and on the park's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/organpipenps. In the coming months, the road will be closed for approximately one week as the concrete is poured in the new water crossings. Contact the Kris Eggle Visitor Center at [phone] ext. 7302 for up to date road conditions.

www.nps.gov

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