Weekend Alert: Southbound I-17 closed at Loop 303 (Sept. 13-16)

PHOENIX – Southbound Interstate 17 will be closed at Loop 303 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 13-16, for ongoing pavement improvement work, with traffic taking the off- and on-ramps and then using one lane until Jomax Road.

Drivers should allow extra time, consider traveling during non-peak morning or nighttime hours and stay on the designated detour route.

To help keep traffic moving through the work zone, Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive will be closed under I-17. Eastbound Loop 303 traffic can reach northbound I-17 by taking I-17 southbound to Happy Valley Road. 

ADOT offers these additional tips to assist drivers when I-17 weekend closures are scheduled:

• Stay on the detour route regardless of what a navigation app may suggest. This is the best way to reduce delays for yourself and others. Avoid attempting to detour on local streets, which are not designed for large traffic volumes.
   
• ADOT will be placing local-traffic-only closures at neighborhood entrances on a number of streets near I-17 to help keep detouring traffic off local roadways. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at intersections throughout the area to assist with traffic flow.

Crews are continuing a much-needed project to improve the ride on 6 miles of I-17 between Happy Valley Road and State Route 74. Additional I-17 closures or lane restrictions will be needed as the work proceeds. ADOT encourages drivers to sign up for project traffic alerts at azdot.gov/i-17HappyValleySR74.

Following the initial removal of an old, worn top layer of asphalt pavement along the freeway, crews are smoothing the freeway’s 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.

Future weekend restrictions for this project are currently scheduled as follows:

• Northbound I-17 narrowed to one lane between Loop 303 and SR 74/Carefree Highway from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, and from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, the AZ511 app (download for Apple or Android devices) or by calling 511.