I-17 101 traffic interchange

Newly widened, paved Interstate 10 open without restrictions in Tucson

Newly widened, paved Interstate 10 open without restrictions in Tucson

May 12, 2014

TUCSON — Good news for the estimated 150,000 drivers who travel daily on the busiest highway in the Tucson metropolitan area. Motorists are now driving on a smoother, wider section of Interstate 10 in Tucson after the Arizona Department of Transportation completed two years of major construction on improvements between Ruthrauff and Prince roads, including extensive traffic restrictions over the last two weekends to finish final paving on the newly widened section of I-10.

At 5:50 p.m. tonight, ADOT lifted all the westbound restrictions on I-10 between Ruthrauff Road and Miracle Mile after crews completed applying the smooth, durable layer of rubberized asphalt on the pavement. The eastbound lanes were successfully paved the previous weekend.

Crews will need to return in approximately one month to complete final lane striping.

The final paving was part of a $76.4 million project to widen I-10 to four lanes in each direction between Ruthrauff and Prince roads that began in late 2011. The project upgraded a two-plus-mile section of I-10 by increasing capacity, reducing congestion and improving traffic flow on the most heavily traveled corridor in Tucson.

As part of the project, in March ADOT opened the reconstructed Prince Road traffic interchange, which now carries traffic over Union Pacific Railroad. The previous at-grade interchange experienced significant congestion and backups when 40-60 trains pass daily through the area, sometimes requiring vehicles to back up onto I-10 during peak hours.