Arizona Department of Public Safety’s (ADPS) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EOD) destroyed 50 pounds of unstable dynamite found in a shed just off of Interstate 17 at the Newman Park exit. The high explosives are so unstable they must be destroyed in place and cannot be moved. Unfortunately, this put Interstate 17 both northbound and southbound lane within the blast area.
At 5:00 a.m. on June 3, 2016, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and ADPS completely closed I-17 for approximately four hours to ensure public safety during the destruction. The closure started at the SR-179 Junction, which is Milepost 299 on I-17 for northbound traffic. For southbound traffic, I-17 was closed at Kelly Canyon Road which is Milepost 330. For all non-commercial traffic, SR-89A was the alternate route during the closure.
Commercial motor vehicles were not allowed to detour and were staged in Camp Verde if traveling north or Fort Tuthill, if traveling south from Flagstaff.