BATHROOM WITH A VIEW: SUNSET POINT REST AREA CLOSING FOR A YEAR

NOTE: SUBS last 2 grafs to CORRECT to Hammit sted Hammot.

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By SONU MUNSHI
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX (Thursday, Nov. 1) _ Jack Caward hates the crazy traffic between his Prescott Valley home and Phoenix, but the trip offers one pleasure: Sunset Point Rest Area and its panoramic view of the Bradshaw Mountains and valley below.

“It’s quite a sight; makes for a great place to stop and take in the beauty of Arizona,” Caward said.

For thousands traveling Interstate 17 each day, Sunset Point is more than a pit stop. Its scenic perch and its central location on the way from Prescott or Flagstaff to Phoenix make it a magnet for adults seeking serenity and children looking to run and explore.

But that experience is going on hold for about a year beginning next Monday, when the Arizona Department of Transportation begins a $5.2 million renovation and remodeling project. Travelers in need will have to find alternatives to Sunset Point’s vending machines, shaded picnic areas and, perhaps most importantly, toilets.

“If people gotta go, what do they do? Go out in the bush?” Caward said.

ADOT spokesman Bill Williams said officials realize the project will inconvenience travelers _ 7,500 a day on average _ who use Sunset Point. But he said the payoff will be two new picnic ramadas, new sidewalks and pavement and additional parking. The project also includes new water, sewer, phone and electrical lines.

“We hope to have this wrapped up before 2009, but it depends on how smoothly construction goes,” Williams said. “It’s tough because it’s so popular.”

Arizona historian Marshall Trimble is a Sunset Point fan, fondly noting how it appears after I-17’s winding climb out of the desert onto a grass-covered mesa with views all around.

“Every time I drive by it, it brings back memories of looking at the snow-capped mountains in the winter,” Trimble said.

ADOT notes that motorists can stop in Cordes Junction, about 10 miles to the north, or Black Canyon City, about 10 miles to the south. There’s a second I-17 rest area at McGuireville, north of Camp Verde.

Dallas Hammit, ADOT’s Prescott district engineer, said the rest area was built in the 1970s and sorely needs upgrading.

“It’s used heavily, so a number of things like the water and sewer need to be fixed,” Hammit said. “That will help us keep it open more consistently in the future.”

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Web Links:
_ Arizona Department of Transportation: www.azdot.gov

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PHOTO: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images and download

CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-SUNSET POINT: The famous view at Sunset Point Rest Area along Interstate 17 is shown in this undated photo by the Arizona Department of Transportation. The popular rest area will close for about a year beginning Monday, Nov. 5, for renovation and remodeling. (Credit: Arizona Department of Transportation via Cronkite News Service)