Lake Havasu officials defend ADOT-installed medians on Highway 95 as safety measure amid citizen complaints

Mayor Cal Sheehy told attendees at the Sept. 12 Coffee with the Mayor and City Manager that the medians installed on State Route 95 were an Arizona Department of Transportation project funded with federal dollars and intended to reduce head‑on collisions. “State Route Highway 95 is just that. It's a state route. So ADOT or the Arizona Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining that roadway,” Sheehy said. He said the median work originated from a 2019 Lake Havasu Metropolitan Planning Organization safety project that opened federal funding for ADOT and was programmed for fiscal 2025. The mayor acknowledged motorists' complaints that the new medians make lanes feel “skinnier” and said the city relayed those concerns to ADOT; he also said ADOT provided safety data supporting the medians’ design. “The safety data supports that you would be able to have these medians which provide safety features. So it's really to stop head on traffic collisions,” Sheehy said, noting prior fatalities in the corridor often followed medical emergencies that led drivers into oncoming traffic. City Manager Jessica Knudson described the city’s role as advocacy rather than project lead. “We do our best to have influence. Right? We do our best to reach out and advocate for our residents… but we're advocating. We're not in the driver's seat,” Knudson said, adding that the city asked ADOT to provide safety data and has passed along resident feedback. She said ADOT has since added reflectors and reflective paint after nighttime visibility concerns were reported. Sheehy and Knudson also noted a separate, poorly executed median installed by a private contractor as part of a restaurant requirement; that median failed city inspection and was removed and redone. The two officials urged residents to keep sending feedback to the city so staff can continue to press ADOT and other partners about safety and maintenance on Highway 95. The officials emphasized the distinction between city responsibility and ADOT authority repeatedly, and said the city’s Metropolitan Planning Organization board helped open the funding channel but did not manage design, bidding or construction. The city will continue to collect citizen input and share it with ADOT as follow‑up.