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Well, the Highway 179 project is in full swing, and it has had many bumps and fits as it evolves.
Here is a quick summary of the details I give in this thread:
1) road work on Hwy 179 is making it a challenge and there have been accidents ....the chamber of commerce doesn't want it reported in the local news, so it won't be.
2) if it is dark, it is poor visibility: hard on driver and passenger to navigate the road thru the Village of Oak Creek.
3) the city of Sedona is not experiencing this problem, and if you arrive via Hwy 260 to Hwy 89A you will avoid the mess in Village of Oak Creek
4) The only timeshare resort that is located in the Village is the Ridge, a Sunterra resort. Villas of Poco Diablo, tho on Hwy 179, is much closer to Hwy 89 A....you can get to it via the detour of Hwy 260 to 89a easily.
Here is the full detailed version:
The Village of Oak Creek is most impacted by the construction, as is the Back of Beyond intersection (this is a stretch of road north of Bell Rock, and south of Chapel Road, near the Methodist Church.
Accidents are being kept out of the news....but they are happening, as the visibility is difficult.
There are 3 roundabouts being worked on in the first stage of construction: one at the Hilton/Sedona Ridge turnoff just south of the factory outlets in Village of OC.
The second is at the factory outlets, at Jacks Canyon Rd.
The third is at Back of Beyond.
And there is talk that a fourth is also in the works at this time, at Bell Rock Blvd (the turn near Bell Rock that leads to the Golf Course...Village of Oak Creek course).
The roads have been torn up and traffic is pushed to the western side of the VOC length....
there are concrete barriers along the east side, and the construction on the east side is hard to figure out....drainage ditches, raised levels of dirt, many different mini-projects behind those barriers.
There is a very low level of lighting along this stretch, and the signage is pretty useless.
It doesn't help a person to find a business when all the sign says is "business access"...and there are no helpful signs for detouring nor are there clear street signs easily spotted from the confusing roadway.
If someone is not familiar with the area, they will have some difficulty finding a certain street or restaurant in the Village.
In Sedona city, there is nothing quite like this going on ....yet.
Although, the uptown area has had a project which has had many a delay, and there are some new projects expected. There are a few unhappy folks in uptown with the sidewalk/bridge project under way.
But as far as traffic in Sedona city....no real serious problems.
I still recommend coming into Sedona thru Hwy 89A via exit for HWY 260, north thru Cottonwood ....especially if you drive into Sedona for the very first time at night.
The only reason to come in thru HWY 179 is that you :
a) are staying at a resort or hotel in the Village of Oak Creek ,
b) know the area very well and don't mind dealing with concrete barriers and broken roads, or c) you are driving in the daylight and can clearly find your way thru the mess.
The construction chief has made a plan to control traffic snarls, and so far, I haven't been impressed with the folks who direct the traffic....they use mixed hand signals, and they are not trained in taking control.
Final word of caution, there is a huge Forest Service project also going on about 2 miles south of the Village, and that adds dust, dirt, huge trucks and unexpected stoppage of traffic, during the day. Also, road has been reconfigured, concrete barriers there, and in the dark, it is quite dark....not fun.
If you are staying at the city resorts, it is my best advice, especially if you are a first timer to Sedona....come in thru exit 285, HWY 260 north thru Cottonwood to HWY 89A to Sedona (that is make a right at the Home Depot/Giant Gas intersection).
If you come into Sedona thru Hwy 179, do be alert especially thru the stretch at about 4 miles off Interstate 17 for about another 10 miles until you pass the Back of Beyond mess, uh, project.
Stay safe! Enjoy your visit!
Here is a quick summary of the details I give in this thread:
1) road work on Hwy 179 is making it a challenge and there have been accidents ....the chamber of commerce doesn't want it reported in the local news, so it won't be.
2) if it is dark, it is poor visibility: hard on driver and passenger to navigate the road thru the Village of Oak Creek.
3) the city of Sedona is not experiencing this problem, and if you arrive via Hwy 260 to Hwy 89A you will avoid the mess in Village of Oak Creek
4) The only timeshare resort that is located in the Village is the Ridge, a Sunterra resort. Villas of Poco Diablo, tho on Hwy 179, is much closer to Hwy 89 A....you can get to it via the detour of Hwy 260 to 89a easily.
Here is the full detailed version:
The Village of Oak Creek is most impacted by the construction, as is the Back of Beyond intersection (this is a stretch of road north of Bell Rock, and south of Chapel Road, near the Methodist Church.
Accidents are being kept out of the news....but they are happening, as the visibility is difficult.
There are 3 roundabouts being worked on in the first stage of construction: one at the Hilton/Sedona Ridge turnoff just south of the factory outlets in Village of OC.
The second is at the factory outlets, at Jacks Canyon Rd.
The third is at Back of Beyond.
And there is talk that a fourth is also in the works at this time, at Bell Rock Blvd (the turn near Bell Rock that leads to the Golf Course...Village of Oak Creek course).
The roads have been torn up and traffic is pushed to the western side of the VOC length....
there are concrete barriers along the east side, and the construction on the east side is hard to figure out....drainage ditches, raised levels of dirt, many different mini-projects behind those barriers.
There is a very low level of lighting along this stretch, and the signage is pretty useless.
It doesn't help a person to find a business when all the sign says is "business access"...and there are no helpful signs for detouring nor are there clear street signs easily spotted from the confusing roadway.
If someone is not familiar with the area, they will have some difficulty finding a certain street or restaurant in the Village.
In Sedona city, there is nothing quite like this going on ....yet.
Although, the uptown area has had a project which has had many a delay, and there are some new projects expected. There are a few unhappy folks in uptown with the sidewalk/bridge project under way.
But as far as traffic in Sedona city....no real serious problems.
I still recommend coming into Sedona thru Hwy 89A via exit for HWY 260, north thru Cottonwood ....especially if you drive into Sedona for the very first time at night.
The only reason to come in thru HWY 179 is that you :
a) are staying at a resort or hotel in the Village of Oak Creek ,
b) know the area very well and don't mind dealing with concrete barriers and broken roads, or c) you are driving in the daylight and can clearly find your way thru the mess.
The construction chief has made a plan to control traffic snarls, and so far, I haven't been impressed with the folks who direct the traffic....they use mixed hand signals, and they are not trained in taking control.
Final word of caution, there is a huge Forest Service project also going on about 2 miles south of the Village, and that adds dust, dirt, huge trucks and unexpected stoppage of traffic, during the day. Also, road has been reconfigured, concrete barriers there, and in the dark, it is quite dark....not fun.
If you are staying at the city resorts, it is my best advice, especially if you are a first timer to Sedona....come in thru exit 285, HWY 260 north thru Cottonwood to HWY 89A to Sedona (that is make a right at the Home Depot/Giant Gas intersection).
If you come into Sedona thru Hwy 179, do be alert especially thru the stretch at about 4 miles off Interstate 17 for about another 10 miles until you pass the Back of Beyond mess, uh, project.
Stay safe! Enjoy your visit!
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