Series of wide-load trucks to travel from Phoenix to Graham County in coming weeks to deliver girders for new US 70 bridge

Series of wide-load trucks to travel from Phoenix to Graham County in coming weeks to deliver girders for new US 70 bridge   Trucks will pass through Tucson to deliver 120 concrete girders for US 70 bridge in Bylas              Delivery of girders for the new bridge being constructed on US 70 over the Gila River in Graham County will require a series of oversized loads to travel through Phoenix, Tucson and Safford beginning Thursday, July 12.   The new 15-span bridge, located one mile west of Bylas on the San Carlos Apache reservation, is being constructed by the Arizona Department of Transportation to replace the existing bridge that was built in 1957.   The delivery of 120 precast concrete girders will take place over 15 weeknights. The first deliveries will begin leaving the Phoenix facility where they are cast shortly after midnight on Thursday with eight trucks departing at 15- to 30-minute intervals. The trucks, measuring 190-feet long, 10-feet wide and 14-feet tall, will carry one girder at a time and will be escorted along the following route:   Depart central Phoenix and enter southbound Interstate 17 Merge onto Interstate 10 and continuing eastbound through Phoenix and Tucson Exit I-10 to northbound US 191 Exit US 191 to westbound US 70 in Safford before reaching the final destination near the community of Bylas.   No deliveries will be made on weekends and all deliveries will arrive at the construction site in the early morning hours.   Motorists traveling on the route are advised to be alert for slow-moving oversized loads and drive with caution.   The $12.7 million project will feature wider travel lanes, emergency shoulders and a pedestrian walkway. The new bridge is scheduled for completion in spring 2013, when the older bridge will be demolished.   ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up-to-date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information Center at www.az511.gov or call 5-1-1 For more information about this project, contact Safford District Senior Community Relations Officer C.T. Revere at 520.705.3574 or crevere@azdot.gov. Local media should contact the ADOT Public Information Office at news@azdot.gov or 1.800.949.8057. Visit www.facebook.com/azdot or www.azdot.gov for more information about ADOT. For more information about ADOT projects and programs across Arizona see the agency's latest blog posts at http://adotblog.blogspot.com.   Please do not reply to this message – use the contact information above.