Emergency pull off lanes serve as safety retreats along the Broadway Curve Improvement Project area
Emergency pull off lanes serve as safety retreats along the Broadway Curve Improvement Project area
Crews sweep a newly created emergency pull off during a recent full freeway closure.
We’ve seen preconstruction work for the Broadway Curve Improvement Project since the spring, on and around Interstate 10, from the Loop 202 (Santan/South Mountain Freeway) to Interstate 17 near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
So far, crews have closed lanes and full segments of the 11-mile project area for rubberized asphalt removal, pothole repair, geotechnical work and work-zone setup.
More recently, crews focused on safety measures by installing emergency pull off lanes in areas where the right shoulders are limited by work-zone setup and construction activities.
While the Broadway Curve Improvement Project is underway, ADOT is providing one available shoulder or emergency pull off area per mile. Project planners spent more than a year going over details, working closely with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, ADOT’s Traffic Incident Management team and representatives from the professional towing industry.
It was during one of these meetings that executives from the professional towing industry requested ADOT make the pull offs long enough for a semi trailer and a hauler, with extra room to merge safely back onto the freeway. As a result, each pull off area is at least 300 feet long and 12 feet wide.
These emergency pull off areas will give drivers a way to pull over if they can’t make it to an exit. They’ll reduce lane blockages when vehicles have mechanical problems, such as flat tires, or when drivers run out of gas or are involved in a crash.
They can also be used by emergency responders or used for emergency vehicle staging during more severe incidents. Law enforcement officers can also use them as a safe place to issue citations.
There are currently eight of these pull off areas installed along I-10 in the project area, in spots where shoulders are reduced. They’ll be in place for the duration of construction, although their locations will change as needed for new phases of traffic control.
Safely home. These two words represent ADOT’s True North, which is reflected in efforts like these along our highway system.