TUCSON — Drivers on State Route 82 in Cochise County will soon be down to a single lane at the San Pedro River as the state begins replacing the highway’s bridge there, according to a release from the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The $10.5 million project is near the Fairbank Historic Townsite, about 9 miles east of Whetstone. Crews will replace one side of the bridge at a time, ADOT said.
Restrictions begin Tuesday, Nov. 17, with the highway narrowed to one lane of alternating traffic from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. That schedule continues until early December, when round-the-clock restrictions start and a temporary traffic signal will control traffic at both ends of the bridge, according to the agency.
A 12-foot vehicle width limit will be in effect. ADOT encouraged oversized loads to use other routes, including SR 90 to SR 80.
The project is expected to wrap up in fall 2028, ADOT said.
SR 82 links Sonoita and the Patagonia area with Tombstone and the San Pedro Valley, and the Fairbank area draws visitors to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. More details are available on ADOT’s project website.
Sources: Arizona Department of Transportation news releases, ADOT SR 82 San Pedro River bridge project. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
