ADOT: All highways re-opened after Wallow Fire in NE Arizona

State Route 261 reopened today in White Mountains

                                                                                    

PHOENIX – Sixty-three days after its closure, State Route 261 was reopened to the public this afternoon after the Wallow Fire, the state’s largest wildfire ever, prompted its closure. The Arizona Department of Transportation reopened the highway after repairing significant guardrail damage, in addition to clearing debris and re-seeding areas along the 18-mile stretch of highway in the White Mountains.

SR 261 (mileposts 395-413), which provides access to Big Lake and Crescent Lake in Apache County, was originally closed on June 2 by ADOT as a public safety measure to prevent motorists from traveling in the area affected by the fire.

ADOT has restored all roadways on state highways that were affected by wildfires. For the first time since mid-May, there are no highways that are closed due to wildfires, the threat of wildfire, or repairs from wildfire damage.

In one of the state’s worst wildfire seasons ever, ADOT has been forced close 14 highways, totaling more than 300 miles of roadway this year. The Wallow Fire alone in northeast Arizona necessitated the closure of seven highways and nearly 200 miles of roadway on SR 260, SR 261, SR 273, SR 373, US 60, US 180 and US 191.