Southbound I-17 reopens early in north Valley after pavement work
Southbound I-17 reopens early in north Valley after pavement work
Crews continued much-needed project to smooth the ride
PHOENIX – Southbound Interstate 17 has reopened early between Loop 303 and Happy Valley Road following weekend pavement work.
The Arizona Department of Transportation is grateful to motorists who used the posted detour route, which moved traffic efficiently throughout the weekend.
Continuing a much-needed project to improve the ride on I-17 between Happy Valley Road and SR 74, crews removed a top layer of older, worn asphalt pavement before advancing to work to smooth the remaining concrete surface through a process called diamond grinding. Diamond grinding has been used in recent years to create a smoother and more durable road surface on a number of Phoenix-area freeways, including I-10, I-17, Loop 101 and Loop 202.
While ADOT often can complete work without closing all lanes of a freeway, this weekend closure and two previous ones were needed for crews to safely and effectively remove the surface asphalt and clear as much dust and debris as possible before the stretch reopened to traffic.
A northbound I-17 closure is planned for next weekend between Happy Valley Road and Loop 303 to complete this phase of the project. ADOT encourages drivers to sign up for project traffic alerts at azdot.gov/projects (see Central District projects).
The I-17 pavement work between SR 74 and Happy Valley Road is separate from the I-17 Improvement Project currently underway north of Anthem Way. For more information about that larger project visit improvingi17.com.
Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, the az511 app or by calling 511.