Northbound I-17 to be closed between Loop 303 and SR 74 (Carefree Highway) May 17-20
Drivers are asked to use designated detour route along frontage road
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) advises drivers to allow extra time and stay on the designated detour route while northbound I-17 is closed this weekend between Loop 303 and SR 74 (Carefree Highway) for a pavement improvement project.
- Northbound I-17 will be closed between Loop 303 and State Route 74 (Carefree Highway) from 10 p.m. Friday, May 17, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 20.
DESIGNATED DETOUR: Northbound I-17 drivers will be detoured onto the northbound frontage road to SR 74 (Carefree Highway).
- Eastbound Loop 303 at I-17 and westbound Sonoran Desert Drive at I-17 also will be closed to allow northbound detour traffic to freely flow through the intersection.
- Eastbound Loop 303 drivers will be directed to southbound I-17.
- Southbound I-17 traffic exiting at Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive will be directed to westbound Loop 303. Southbound I-17 traffic wanting to access Sonoran Desert Drive east of I-17 may exit at Dove Valley Road.
ADOT is advising drivers to not use local streets – including Sonoran Desert Drive and North Valley Parkway – as alternate routes, which is a recipe for longer delays and inconvenience for all. Using the frontage road, which offers two travel lanes, is safer for drivers and for those living nearby, as well as being the most efficient route through the area.
Law enforcement officers will work throughout the area to assist with local-only closures at neighborhood entrances. ADOT also is taking steps to reduce the chances that navigation apps will direct drivers to local roads. Staying on the detour route regardless of what a navigation app may suggest is the best way to reduce delays for yourself and others.
Crews are continuing a much-needed project to improve the ride on I-17. They are removing a top layer of older, worn asphalt pavement, before advancing to work to smooth the remaining concrete surface through a process called diamond grinding. While ADOT often can complete work without closing all lanes of a freeway, these closures are needed for crews to safely and effectively remove the surface asphalt and clear as much dust and debris as possible before the stretch reopens to traffic.
Lengthy traffic backups are unavoidable during these closures, so drivers should plan ahead. Those with weekend plans to use northbound I-17 from Phoenix may want to consider avoiding delays by traveling before Friday night’s closure begins. Traffic on the northbound freeway also generally is lighter during the early morning hours or later at night.
The I-17 pavement work between SR 74 and Happy Valley Road is separate from the I-17 Improvement Project currently underway north of Anthem Way. For more information about that larger project visit improvingI17.com. Drivers are reminded that the speed limit within that project’s work zone is 65 mph.
Drivers should use caution and be prepared to slow down and merge safely when approaching and traveling through any work zones.
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