Eastbound I-10 ramp at SR 87 to close for seven weeks

PHOENIX ‒ The eastbound on-ramp to Interstate 10 at State Route 87 will close for seven weeks on Monday, April 29, allowing Arizona Department of Transportation crews to take important steps toward completion of the project to widen I-10 north of Picacho Peak.

By the time a new on-ramp opens in mid-June, it is expected to connect with new eastbound lanes. When those new lanes open, also in June, I-10 will be a six-lane freeway from milepost 209 to 213.

During the closure, drivers can reach eastbound I-10 by taking westbound I-10 to Sunshine Boulevard (exit 208), then entering eastbound I-10.

Crews also are about to begin work on components of an innovative dust-detection zone in a 10-mile area from Eloy to Picacho Peak. Initial work includes installing foundations for electronic message boards that will provide safety information to drivers during dusty conditions. Crews also will install about 10 miles of fiber-optic cable that will connect radar and other equipment in the area from milepost 209-219.

The dust detection zone also will include short- and long-range radar to identify blowing dust in the area, electronic message boards to get information to drivers, variable speed limits to slow drivers during potentially dangerous conditions and closed-circuit cameras to allow ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center to see conditions in real time.

Work is expected to be complete this fall. Combined with a related project widening 4 miles of I-10 in Casa Grande, the work will create a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande to Tucson. Work on the Casa Grande project is expected to be completed by late summer.