Traffic shift begins on SR 189 in Nogales
Traffic shift begins on SR 189 in Nogales
State Route 189 improvement project
PHOENIX – Drivers on State Route 189 in Nogales should plan for possible delays between Frank Reed Road and Interstate 19 as work crews shift traffic to continue work on flyover ramps connecting SR 189 and I-19.
Lane closures will alternate over the next several months while crews continue work on the ramps, which will remove delays for commercial trucks carrying international commerce and improve safety in the area of Nogales High School.
Restrictions are expected to be in place until spring 2021. Two lanes will remain open during daylight hours to accommodate heavier traffic. Drivers may want to use Target Range Road between SR 189 and I-19 to avoid potential delays in the work zone.
The ramps will connect in the median of SR 189 west of Frank Reed Road. Northbound drivers will enter the ramp from the left lane of SR 189 and enter I-19 just north of the existing on-ramp. Southbound drivers will enter the off-ramp north of the current off-ramp and enter SR 189 from the median. The existing ramps will remain open after construction is complete.
The improvements are expected to attract even more international commerce to Nogales, which currently sees about 80 percent of Arizona's trade with Mexico. Each year, about 360,000 trucks carrying produce and other products from Mexico currently enter the US in Nogales and follow SR 189 to I-19. Improvements to the Mariposa Port of Entry completed in 2014 will accommodate increasing traffic.
The work is being funded in part by a $25 million investment by the Arizona Legislature and a $25 million federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant. Doing the work as one project instead of two saves about $13 million compared with a two-phase project.
For more information, please visit azdot.gov/sr189.