BLUE CANYON, Ariz. — The Navajo Division of Transportation (NDOT) recently performed road maintenance to approximately three miles of Navajo Route 9053, also known as Blue Canyon Road, within the Fort Defiance Chapter.

The scope of work includes 3.1 miles of blading, sub-grade and drainage work. NDOT Road Maintenance crews will also lay four-inches of aggregate base course and soil stabilizer over a one-mile segment of the road to improve the profile.

“We’ve prioritized an area toward the top of Blue Canyon Road for gravel and soil stabilization,” said Garret Silversmith, Executive Director of NDOT. “With the winter months ahead of us, it’s important to reinforce the surface of this particular road.”

N9053 is a school bus route with a high average daily traffic count, according to NDOT.

Fort Defiance Chapter Manager Lorraine Nelson said her community is happy to see the improvements being made.

“We’re concerned about this road especially for the kids,” she said. “We’re thankful for the work being done.”

NDOT road maintenance supervisor Roscoe Tsosie said the project has seen minimal setbacks and should be completed by the end of October. This is the second project being handled entirely in-house by NDOT road crews.

“Right now, we have three trucks running base course to the site. Within a week we should be done with gravel work,” Tsosie said. “People passing through the construction zone are telling us how much better the road is now.”

Costs for the project are estimated to be $175,000 dollars which include 2567 tons of aggregate base course and 275 gallons of soil stabilizer. The water utilized for the project is being hauled from the Black Creek lagoon.

According to Nelson, the chapter will continue to work with agency partners to bring further improvements to the route.

“On behalf of the whole community, we want to partner with agencies to benefit our community and the people living in the community,” she said.

NDOT encourages safe driving and increased awareness when traveling through active road construction zones.

NDOT would like to thank the Fort Defiance Chapter, Delegate Wilson C. Stewart, Jr. (Crystal, Fort Defiance, Red Lake, Sawmill), and the Office of the President and Vice President for their continued support of maintenance projects like this one.

Information provided by NDOT