Forest Road connection

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As part of the Sedona in Motion (SIM) program, the city of Sedona and contactor, Fann Contracting Inc., are working on the construction of the Forest Road Connection Project. The project includes the construction of a new two-lane roadway that will connect the current terminus of Forest Road to a new intersection on State Route 89A, just west of "the Y" roundabouts. Additional work includes the installation of new concrete curb and gutter, retaining walls, a shared-use path, drainage infrastructure, landscape improvements and the extension of sewer infrastructure.

Project details

This project:

Gives Uptown residents a way to bypass "the Y," reducing traffic in those roundabouts.
Provides additional access to emergency responders; serves as an additional evacuation route.
Will allow vehicles to use a left-turn lane on northbound 89A to enter Forest Road west of the post office.
Will allow only right turns onto southbound 89A when exiting Forest Road west of the post office.
Has an estimated cost of $14.8 million.

Estimated completion of the project: mid-2025

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Status

Relocation of utilities along Forest Road is complete. With this work finished, Fann Contracting has returned to the project site. This project requires a large amount of dirt and rock materials to create the new connection roadway. To obtain this material, excavation is in process at the city-owned lots at 430 and 460 Forest Road. Taking materials from these properties, which was always part of the Forest Road project, saves money and makes both lots more developable for future uses as they will be excavated to street level.

Regarding the Uptown Parking Garage, City Council voted on November 15, 2023 to move forward with the project and directed staff to develop a plan for employee parking, employ guidance technology in conjunction with the parking garage project, finalize a plan for consolidation of the existing public parking lots and on-street parking, and restrict non-resident parking on residential streets. Councilmembers agreed the garage must be fully funded by user fees.

Blasting

Please be advised that blasting operations will begin on November 29, 2023 and continue intermittently for approximately two months. Blasting is necessary to break up subsurface bedrock so it can be removed and the site can be properly graded for the roadway. The blasting company will coordinate their activities and operations with state and local regulatory agencies, including police and fire, and will directly post public advisories as dates and times become known.

Blasting information

Blasting is planned on some areas of the project site.

Current areas of planned blasting are located on the southern end of the proposed Forest Road Connection as it approaches its intersection with State Route 89A and the potential location of the Uptown Parking Garage site. While the City continues to work on the parking garage project, City Council did authorize the excavation and creation of a surface level parking lot under the Forest Road Connection Project to take advantage of economy of scale for the combined excavation on both projects. City Council provided staff with further direction during its meeting on November 15, 2023.

What blasting may look like

When working closely to structures, seismic and air blast conditions are closely monitored. Levels of blasting will vary depending upon many factors which may include geologic conditions, proximity of blasting operations to existing structures and/or the sensitivity of nearby structures and infrastructure.

These are examples of blasting occurring, in close proximity to existing buildings:

Watch starting at the 3:30 mark:

Scheduled Blasting

Depending on the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction (Sedona Fire District), advanced notice of blasting activities is typically no less than 24-hours.

Pre-blasting surveys

Pre-blasting surveys are being conducted at properties within 500 feet of the parking garage site and 500 feet of the Forest Road Connection Project site. See the properties that were notified via letter of needing a pre-blast survey: parking garage site and Forest Road Connection Project site.

These surveys ensure property owners that monitoring will be done during blasting to ensure that no damage is done to your home or business.

Blasting details

Site excavation for the Forest Road Connection Project and parking lot on Forest Road will use a combination of mechanical methods (heavy excavation equipment) and blasting techniques to remove rock materials encountered on each site. The character of rock strata encountered in the excavations is anticipated to vary with depth, with denser rock strata generally occurring at deeper depths; however, this is not always the case and weaker less dense strata can occasionally exist at deeper depths. In either case the contractor will generally employ mechanical methods using heavy equipment (bulldozers, and excavators with hydraulic rock hammers) to remove the weaker and less dense rock strata, and explosive (blasting) techniques to remove the harder and more dense rock strata.

The blasting permit is administered and regulated by the Sedona Fire District. Permittees are required to comply with numerous local and nationally recognized industry standards to ensure the safety and security of all persons and structures in the vicinity of the blasting operations. Some of these requirements include:

Conducting pre and post-blast surveys of all structures or buildings with a 500-foot radius of the blast site.
Monitoring seismic and air blast conditions for buildings or structures within a 500-foot radius of the blast site for compliance with industry standards.
Providing routine neighborhood notifications of blast operations at time intervals specified by the fire code official.
Restricted hours for blasting.
Signage.
Utility notifications.

Blasting FAQ

Read this FAQ for more details on blasting and excavation.