I-40 project east of Williams advances with 5 westbound miles rebuilt

PHOENIX – An Interstate 40 paving project east of Williams continues to move forward with crews completing work to rebuild 5 westbound miles of the freeway between mileposts 167 and 172 and preparing for a traffic switch Thursday, July 12, that will move traffic back to the westbound lanes, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Westbound I-40 traffic in this stretch has been using one eastbound lane, separated from eastbound traffic by temporary concrete barrier.

Also on Thursday, July 12, the westbound on- and off-ramps at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads will reopen after being closed since May. In addition, the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp at Parks will close for a few weeks to allow crews to continue rebuilding a 1-mile section of I-40 in both directions near the interchange. 

In a few weeks, crews will place concrete barrier on the westbound side of I-40 so both directions of traffic will use one lane in each direction while crews rebuild the eastbound lanes between mileposts 167 and 172. The eastbound on- and off-ramps at Garland Prairie and Pittman Valley roads will close for the next few months. The ramps at the Parks Road interchange at milepost 178 will reopen to help detour traffic.

Work on this 5-mile section of I-40 is anticipated to wrap up by the fall.

Meanwhile, crews continue to repave other portions of the highway between mileposts 162 and 179 from Cataract Lake to Parks. Crews will work until cooler temperatures arrive, then they will break for winter and return next spring to complete the work.

ADOT continues to improve pavement on other sections of I-40 and Interstate 17 in the Flagstaff area. Crews repaving northbound I-17 continue to progress toward Flagstaff making a smoother surface to drive on. Work at the I-17/I-40 interchange continues to move forward as falsework for bridge improvements has been put in place and the westbound I-40 bridge decks have been removed.

Work on the interchange is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, while paving along I-17 will break for winter and finish next summer.

For more information on this project and others in the Flagstaff area, visit azdot.gov/projects (click on Northcentral District).