U.S. 60 Still Closed In Tempe, No Reopening Date Set

TEMPE, AZ — Portions of U.S. 60 in Tempe are still closed, and the Arizona Department of Transportation said it could not provide an estimate on when it might reopen.

The roadway was damaged Saturday when a city of Tempe water transmission line near U.S. 60 burst.

"We are not in a position to speculate about when freeway repairs can be completed," an ADOT spokesperson told Patch on Monday. "We will provide updates on a regular basis."

Tempe officials initially said on Saturday that the line had burst beneath U.S. 60, but clarified on Monday that the busted line was actually north of the highway, between a pedestrian bridge and the McClintock overpass. The burst line was more than 20 feet underground, and crews just found it on Monday, according to Tara Ford, Tempe's interim municipal utilities director.

The burst pipe was a steel cylinder around 50 years old, and had an estimated lifespan of around 75 years, according to city officials.

"There's no reason that we thought it would fail with 25 years left on this pipe," Ford said. "We are going to look at what caused this."

The city was working Monday to shut off water to the line to ensure that the department of transportation could begin working on roadway repairs.

“The city of Tempe genuinely recognizes and is sympathetic to the inconveniences that this is causing to people’s lives,” said Nikki Ripley, Tempe's communication and media relations manager. “We know that day-to-day many thousands of people use this freeway to get to work and to get kids to school.”

Neither the cost of the repairs to U.S. 60 or to the burst pipe have been determined, Ford said.

The city had already begun plans for an upcoming water main assessment when the pipe burst on Saturday, Ford added.

As of Monday afternoon, according to the department of transportation, the closures include:

Eastbound U.S. 60 is closed between the I-10 interchange and Loop 101. Westbound U.S. 60 is closed between Loop 101 and McClintock Drive. The westbound U.S. 60 on ramps between McClintock Drive and I-10 are still open.

Westbound traffic on U.S. 60 headed toward the closure is detoured to north or southbound Loop 101. Those who head north on Loop 101 can then go west on Loop 202 toward the airport or downtown Phoenix. Drivers who use southbound Loop 101 can then head west on Loop 202 in the Chandler area to connect with I-10.

Drivers on I-10 who usually use eastbound U.S. 60 should consider using either Loop 202 east to Loop 101 north or eastbound Loop 202 to southbound Loop 101 to reach U.S. 60 beyond the closure.