Prescott City studies SR‑89 redesign after repeated effluent‑line failures; widening, roundabouts debated

Prescott City officials and consultants told a City Council study session on April 8 that a failing effluent wastewater main and an undersized, weakened SR‑89 roadway require a coordinated construction plan and that three design alternatives will move to the 15% design stage for public review.

Lehi Roach, Prescott City Public Works director, opened the update by saying, “the effluent line in this right of way has broken over a dozen times in the last 6 or 7 years.” The consultant team from Kimley Horn and Associates presented traffic, geotechnical and constructability data and described the advisory‑group and technical‑committee process that produced three top alternatives to be further developed into 15% plans.

Why this matters: SR‑89 between the Willow Lake roundabout and the Fippin Trail roundabout — a little more than 2 miles inside the city limits — carries regional traffic from Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and other communities. The city and consultants said repairing the buried effluent main without also strengthening the roadway would leave the corridor vulnerable to repeated breaks, detours and safety risks.

Key findings and data

- Project limits and schedule: Consultants said the DCR covers SR‑89 from the existing Willow Lake roundabout north to the Fippin Trail roundabout. The team said the next formal presentation of 15% plans will be at a study session on July 8; the DCR will open a 60‑day public comment window anchored by two public hearings later in the summer. (Consultants gave exact public‑comment milestone dates during the presentation.)

- Repeated pipe failures: City staff and the consultant noted two major breaks in 2024 (July and December). The line is an Amaron, a bar‑wrapped concrete cylinder pipe the team said is subject to corrosion; field…