RIMROCK, Arizona — While covering Yavapai County’s March floods, Rimrock resident Cindy Nichols raised some concerns about the county’s roads, including Interstate 17.
“We love this small town community,” said Nichols, who has lived in the area for about 15 years. “Everyone is friendly. Beautiful area…life is good here.”
Nichols says there are other things that make life better. “Needs paved road. Additional access required.”
One of her biggest concerns, she says, is the bridge over Wet Beaver Creek. It is both a footbridge and a bridge that cars use to travel Montezuma Her Avenue near Sycamore Park.
When ABC15 was there in March, the normally calm stream turned into a raging river.
“This is the worst thing we’ve ever seen,” Nichols said. She also fears that the two bridges will be unsafe or impractical when the area floods.
ABC15 reached out to Yavapai County officials and said in an email:The bridge is in good condition and next to it is a second pedestrian bridge designed to withstand heavy traffic loads. Yavapai County is pleased with the state of its bridges in the Lake Montezuma area. “
County officials also said they are monitoring water levels in the creek and will temporarily close the bridge if the river level reaches the lower chord of the bridge.
The county also notes that much of the Lake Montezuma area is located on the floodplain, the southern portion of the Montezuma Avenue Bridge.Flooding usually precedes the bridge, so it may not be safe to drive through the southern approach to reach the bridge, even if it is still above the flood. “
Nichols says there must be better options.
In March she told us: “Yesterday the whole area flooded. And normally this whole area floods. Our cars go down the stream. So it makes no sense. We need help. We need safety for all of us.”
Another concern for her is accessing the community during bad weather.
“Many of these small communities are one-way and one-way,” she added.
Nichols says he lives in constant fear of being stranded if the weather turns bad.
“Last week I had to get dressed and take a truck instead of a car to either get here or stay in a hotel, and that’s not right,” she said.
Her solution is to add another road to the area.
“I’ve been begging for a road that would take me past my ranch house down to Lake Montezuma and directly to Camp Verde, where Montezuma Castle is, so I could have another way out of here,” Nichols said.
But Yavapai County officials say things are not so simple.
They told us in an email: “Interstate 17, between Lake Montezuma and Camp Verde, does most everything that connects the two communities. In the event of flooding, the route described between Lake Montezuma and Castle Montezuma/Camp Verde may require crossing or crossing Beaver Creek and possibly multiple locations. This is an expensive undertaking, and the county does not believe there is a need critical enough to prioritize this infrastructure over other needs. “
Regarding Interstate 17, Nicholls said he was concerned about the congestion of people who would fill the highway as the entire Verde Valley became a tourist destination.
“And when the people of Phoenix climbed up Route 17, they begged me to widen Route 17. I can’t even get off the exit and go anywhere,” Nichols said.
The Arizona Department of Transportation is in the midst of an Interstate 17 improvement project that will expand 33 miles of highway between Anthem Way and Sunset Point to add flex lanes.
ADOT said it has no plans to expand Interstate 17 in other parts of Yavapai County near where Nichols lives. ADOT said this type of project would require significant additional funding for environmental impact studies, project design and, ultimately, the actual construction.
ADOT continued, “There is no additional funding at this time.”
Nichols says he hasn’t given up, despite what he’s heard from those involved. “We are fed up. We need change. And now is the time.”
