Bell-Grand: Adding finishing touches to the Bell Road bridge

SURPRISE – The next week of work on a new traffic interchange at Bell Road and Grand Avenue (US 60) includes several finishing touches as the Arizona Department of Transportation prepares to reopen Bell Road to traffic on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

Those include laying pavers in medians, striping lanes and completing sidewalks on Bell Road and the bridge carrying it over Grand Avenue.

Adding fencing to the Bell Road bridge will require narrowing Grand Avenue to one lane in both directions between Dysart and Litchfield roads between 10 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14, and 5 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Other work scheduled for the coming week includes continuing to build median ramps from Grand Avenue to Bell Road and creating new eastbound lanes for Grand Avenue.

The $41.9 million project is on track to reopen Bell Road on Tuesday, Nov. 22, though extreme weather and other unforeseen circumstances can cause delays. The entire interchange is scheduled for completion in spring 2017.

Bell Road is closed between 134th Avenue and West Point Parkway to reduce the project’s length and lessen the overall impact of construction. Drivers can access nearby businesses throughout.

Grand Avenue traffic through the project area is sharing what will be the westbound lanes.

The primary detour routes while Bell Road is closed are Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Drivers should observe signs and speed limits and note that law enforcement officers are patrolling.