I-19 ramps at Ajo Way closing Wednesday

TUCSON – Work to allow drivers to begin using the new Ajo Way bridge over Interstate 19 will mean travel restrictions beginning this week and continuing into late August.

Crews are preparing access roads and installing traffic signals that will allow traffic to begin using the new bridge, which is six feet higher and just south of the existing Ajo Way (State Route 86) bridge.

Beginning this week, I-19 will be reduced to one lane in each direction, from one mile north of Ajo Way to one mile south.

The I-19 on- and off-ramps at Ajo will close at 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 12. Both the southbound on-ramp and the northbound off-ramp are scheduled to reopen by 5 a.m. Friday, July 14. Traffic signals at Ajo Way will be turned off from 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, until 5 a.m. Friday, July 14. Law enforcement will direct traffic while the signals are off.

The southbound off-ramp and the northbound on-ramp are scheduled to remain closed until late August.

During those ramp closures, drivers will be encouraged to use the ramps at 29th Street or Irvington Road.

Crews are replacing the current bridge with a wider bridge that will include a single-point urban interchange, which uses a single set of traffic signals to control traffic entering and exiting I-19. The project, which is expected to continue through summer 2018, also includes new ramps and walls to reduce noise to adjacent neighborhoods and commercial areas.