Procession for Salt River officer will shut down Valley highway, roads
Jan 14, 2019, 4:25 AM | Updated: Jan 15, 2019, 7:46 am
PHOENIX — The procession for fallen Salt River Police officer Clayton Townsend will take place on Tuesday, temporarily shutting down parts of a highway and several roads in Phoenix.
The procession will travel along several miles of Loop 101 from the East Valley to north Peoria, causing delays between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. due to rolling closures of northbound and westbound Loop 101, as well as freeway entrance ramps.
Vehicles in the procession will enter northbound Loop 101 at McDowell Road in the Scottsdale area and will exit westbound Loop 101 at 67th Avenue.
The Tuesday morning event will close the following roads from 7 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.:
• 7 a.m. – 8 a.m. Hayden Road from McKellips Road to McDowell Road
• 7:30 a.m. – 8 a.m. McDowell Road from Hayden Road to Loop 101
RELATED STORIES
• 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. Loop 101 Northbound (rolling closure)
• 8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. 67th Avenue to Happy Valley Road
Drivers should allow extra travel time to avoid the temporary closures.
The funeral service for Townsend will be held at 10 a.m. at the Christ’s Church of the Valley in the northwest Valley on Tuesday.
Townsend was struck and killed by a car while conducting a traffic stop on the Loop 101 on Jan. 8.
The driver of the car that struck Townsend admitted to police that he was texting while driving at the time of the collision.
As news reverberated through the state, renewed discussion was sparked as to whether or not Arizona should institute a distracted driving law.
Arizona is one of three states that does not have a statewide law banning texting while driving.
