The Navajo Nation has opened the tribe’s first gravel pit. Officials say they’ll use the pit to serve as aggregate for building new roads.
Most roads on the Nation are poorly maintained, and 75% are unpaved dirt roads.
Last week, Navajo tribal and Apache County officials broke ground on the Carrizo Pit, a gravel pit in eastern Arizona intended to be used by road developers for future projects. The county and the tribe worked on the initiative for more than two decades.
Navajo President Buu Nygren has said this gravel pit is only the first to be opened. He says road repairs are badly needed.
Recent storms flooded roads on at least half a dozen communities this past weekend alone.
