SR 88 closures planned west of Roosevelt Dam for paving project

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drivers to plan for midweek full closures lasting 48 hours each on an 11-mile section of State Route 88 (Apache Trail) west of Theodore Roosevelt Dam as part of a paving project.

The closures are scheduled between April 8 and May 8 from the entrance to Apache Lake at milepost 229.9, which is at Forest Service Road 79, and just west of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook at milepost 240.5.

The 48-hour closures are scheduled from 7 a.m. Tuesdays through 7 a.m. Thursdays on the following dates: 

• April 8-10
• April 15-17
• April 29-May 1
• May 6-8

A 72-hour closure is scheduled from 7 a.m. Monday, April 21, through 7 a.m. Thursday, April 24.

The closures are necessary as part of an $18 million paving project ADOT is overseeing in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Highway Administration. The project began in late 2022.

This Arizona Federal Lands Access Program project includes paving an 11-mile gravel section of the highway and updating drainage features that are not functional or were damaged by flooding. The project will also improve sight lines at several locations. 

During the closures, access to the Theodore Roosevelt Dam Overlook will remain open via SR 188. 

SR 88 will be open heading east from the Phoenix area; however, the steep, unpaved section between Fish Creek Vista (milepost 222) and Fish Creek Bridge (milepost 223.5) is for use only by high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles and utility terrain vehicles. No trailers are allowed.