Northern AZ 2026 highlights include I-17 wildlife overpass completion

PHOENIX – Among other highlights for Northern Arizona, the new year will see completion of an Interstate 17 wildlife overpass south of Flagstaff designed to reduce the risk of crashes involving animals.

Also in 2026, the Arizona Department of Transportation will launch a project to transform the final two-lane section of State Route 260 between Payson and the Mogollon Rim into a four-lane highway. And in Kingman, work will continue on a massive project to construct a free-flowing interchange between Interstate 40 and US 93.

Construction on the I-17 wildlife overpass will resume this spring following a winter shutdown. The project began last May about 12 miles south of Flagstaff near Willard Springs Road, where the structure for a 100-foot-wide overpass has been built. Crews will complete installation of new wildlife fencing along 8 miles of I-17 and add a layer of soil on the overpass. Ultimately, native grasses and other vegetation will be planted.

The $15.8 million project, a partnership between ADOT and the Arizona Game and Fish Department, is designed to reduce the risk of crashes involving elk, deer and other wildlife. Completion is scheduled for fall 2026. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/Wildlife. 

Also in the ponderosa pine forest area of Northern Arizona, the $109 million SR 260 Lion Springs widening project is expected to start by midyear in the Star Valley area east of Payson. This 4-mile segment of SR 260 (mileposts 256-260) is the last to be widened from two to four lanes between Payson and the Mogollon Rim. The project, which will also include wildlife crossings, is scheduled for completion in 2029. 

In Kingman, work continues on the $106 million I-40/US 93 interchange project, which is more than halfway complete. The interchange is designed to eliminate traffic backups and delays that regularly occur for drivers on the main route between Las Vegas and Arizona by allowing traffic to bypass a traffic signal where Beale Street intersects I-40. The new interchange is expected to open in 2027. For more information on the Kingman interchange project, please visit azdot.gov/WestKingmanTI.

Nearby, ADOT expects to complete a new I-40 interchange at Rancho Santa Fe Parkway. The interchange will provide better access to the Kingman Airport and adjacent airpark, and accommodate growth in the east Kingman area. The $44 million interchange is expected to open in mid-2026. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/I-40RanchoSantaFePkwayTI.

On US 93, ADOT expects to complete a 4-mile widening project at Cane Springs north of Wikieup. The $80.6 million project will increase capacity between mileposts 106-110 by constructing a four-lane divided highway. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/us93canesprings. 

Since 1999, ADOT has completed 20 projects to modernize US 93 between Wickenburg and I-40. ADOT's long-term vision calls for a four-lane divided highway through the entire 200 miles between Wickenburg and Nevada. 

ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program for 2026-2030 has these additional projects scheduled to convert US 93 to four-lane divided highway:

• Fiscal year 2026: Mileposts 190-194.6 in the area northwest of Wickenburg

• Fiscal year 2027: Mileposts 161.7-166.2 in the area of Big Jim Wash

Another project scheduled to start in 2026 calls for adding passing lanes to US 93 between mileposts 171.5-173 and 175.5-177.

Other highlights for those living in and traveling to and through Northern Arizona include: 

• Resurfacing State Route 87 through Payson, from Green Valley Parkway to Crackerjack Road. The project includes replacing nearly 4 miles of pavement and making stormwater drainage, signage and traffic light improvements. The two-year, $19.8 million project began in 2025 and is expected to be complete in 2026 (more information: azdot.gov/PaysonImprovements).

• Continuing a project closer to the Phoenix area benefiting those traveling to and from northern Arizona by replacing the Queen Creek and Waterfall Canyon bridges located on the US 60 between mileposts 227 and 229.5, just east of Superior in Pinal County (more information: azdot.gov/US60QueenCreekBridgeProject).

For more information on other improvement projects statewide, please visit azdot.gov/projects.