Bike path to close under Ajo Way for cyclist safety during project

PHOENIX ‒ Replacing the Ajo Way bridge (State Route 86) over the Santa Cruz River as part of a project to improve Ajo Way west of Interstate 19 will mean closing the bicycle path under the bridge until the new bridge is in place.

The path will close on Tuesday evening, Oct. 30, and is expected to remain closed until December 2019.

Arizona Department of Transportation crews have been working since summer on utility improvements, including water and sewer lines, that are part of the second phase of the project. The second phase also includes widening Ajo Way between I-19 and Holiday Boulevard, replacing the pedestrian bridge at Michigan Street and building a braided ramp that connects Ajo Way with I-19 separately from I-19 traffic exiting at Irvington Road.

The $32 million project is scheduled for completion in January 2020. The Pima Association of Governments, the regional transportation-planning agency, is contributing about $6 million toward the cost.

Improvements during the $54 million first phase included a wider Ajo Way bridge over I-19, new ramps and new interchange design with a single set of signals controlling traffic flow. Other improvements included a wider Irvington Road exit lane, noise walls from Ajo Way south to Irvington Road, a wider Ajo Way east of I-19, a repaved Elizabeth Drive and a reconstructed Lamar Avenue.