New westbound I-10 lanes to open at Ina Road in Marana

PHOENIX – New westbound Interstate 10 lanes at Ina Road in Marana will open to traffic this weekend, another step forward for a two-year project improving traffic flow and safety at the busy interchange.

For most of the past year, both directions of I-10 between Orange Grove and Cortaro roads have been sharing the future eastbound lanes, separated by concrete barrier, as the Arizona Department of Transportation creates a modern Ina Road interchange to serve the growing area. I-10 will remain three lanes in each direction after the shift.

On westbound I-10, the right two lanes will be closed near Ina Road beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, to allow crews to move barricades and open the new travel lanes. The work is expected to be complete before 5 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 9.

The $128 million Ina Road interchange project, which began in late February 2017, is creating new bridges carrying Ina Road over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, eliminating the need for drivers to stop for the many trains that pass each day. Ina Road will be widened to two lanes in each direction from I-10 west over new bridges crossing the Santa Cruz River.

ADOT is overseeing the improvements, which are funded by the Federal Highway Administration, the Pima Association of Governments and the Regional Transportation Authority. The town of Marana is contributing $7.9 million toward the cost of the new Santa Cruz River bridges west of I-10.

The work is part of an ongoing effort to improve traffic interchanges on I-10 throughout the Tucson area. Similar improvements at the Ruthrauff Road interchange are scheduled to begin in summer 2019.