NAVAJO DOT CONDUCTS FINAL INSPECTION FOR THE N21 PAVING PROJECT IN KAIBETO

TSE BONITO, N.M. – On Thursday, June 11, the Navajo Division of Transportation (Navajo DOT) gathered all pertinent consultants and contractors to conduct a final inspection of the Navajo Route 21 paving project in Kaibeto, Ariz.

In total, the project included over 3.5 miles of paving on Navajo Route 21 (N21), Navajo Route 6331 (N6331) and Navajo Route 6330 (N6330), construction of a roundabout south of the Kaibeto Market, paving of the Kaibeto Chapter House parking lot, concrete box culvert installation and bridge construction, solar lighting, and grade and drain.

“This project strengthened community safety by improving access to critical services, improving traffic flow and improving a school bus route. The project also contributes to economic development through local tourism,” said Navajo DOT Executive Director Garret Silversmith.

Silversmith said the strength of the partnerships at all levels really pushed this project to completion.

Partners included Dibble Engineering, Yeh and Associates, Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority (NECA), the Bureau of Indian Affairs Department of Transportation (BIA DOT) and the Kaibeto Chapter.

Navajo DOT Principal Civil Engineer Daryl Bradley commended the team for tracking changes but staying within the contract’s budget, which was $15.6 million dollars of Federal Highway Administration funds.

“We worked with our construction managers and the contractor to keep the overruns to a minimum,” Bradley said. “We have very little leeway in terms of adding funds to a project once it’s underway and contract modifications can take months to process. I appreciate the group working together to address any changes. It was a great partnership.”

On-call Navajo DOT consultants, Dibble Engineering provided construction management for the N21 project. Dibble’s Transportation Practice Vice President Tim Wolfe said that his team was honored to be a part of the project.

“For this project to come to completion during a public health state of emergency is a great accomplishment,” Wolfe said. “As with any project, there were changes needed but as construction managers, we were able to make these changes without going over the contract amount. Dibble Engineering would like to thank everyone involved.”

NECA Chief Commercial Officer Buu Nygren said the project was an excellent example of two prominent Navajo Nation entities, Navajo DOT and NECA, working together for the people of Kaibeto.

“The project was finished on time with the help of all partners involved including BIA DOT and Dibble Engineering. We worked as one and delivered a beautiful project,” Nygren said.

Kaibeto Chapter President Franklin Fowler said he was grateful to attend the final inspection of this project that greatly improved his community.

“We’re experiencing a momentous day and the inspection is showing how nice the project turned out,” Fowler said. “This is a great accomplishment especially with the tough times that we are going through, but we made it.”

Fowler said the roundabout, the lighting and the signs are all improving the flow of traffic and safety in Kaibeto.

“We want to thank Navajo DOT for this project and for helping our community,” he said. “Our community would like to thank all the partners involved in this great achievement.”

For Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, improving infrastructure in this region will improve the economy of a community that receives heavy tourist traffic.

“This area is a corridor for tourism where our Nation facilitates transportation from Page to Monument Valley and onward to Canyon De Chelly. We want our Navajo people to have safe roads and additionally, we want to facilitate the cycling of tourism dollars into our communities,” President Nez said. “We congratulate the Kaibeto Chapter on their new parking lot, roundabout and paved roads. Your community deserves these improvements. We also thank all the partners involved in this project.”

The Navajo Division of Transportation would like to acknowledge the support of the Office of the President and Vice President, the effort of former Delegate Tuchony Slim, Jr. and current Delegate Paul Begay (Bodaway/Gap, Coppermine, K’ai’bii’tó, LeChee, Tonalea), the 24th Navajo Nation Council and the great work of NECA.

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