Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory - Phoenix area (March 20-23)

PHOENIX – Freeway improvement projects will require closures or lane restrictions to three metro Phoenix freeways this weekend (March 20-23), according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Drivers should allow extra travel time and use detour routes as needed while the following freeway restrictions are in place:

• Southbound State Route 51 closed between Northern and Highland avenues in Phoenix from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (March 23) for asphalt removal as part of pavement improvement project. Southbound SR 51 on-ramps at 32nd Street and 26th Street also closed. Detour: Consider using southbound I-17 as an alternate freeway route to downtown Phoenix and Sky Harbor Airport. Drivers exiting southbound SR 51 at Northern Avenue should expect delays. Traffic will detour south on 16th Street and drivers can access SR 51 via Highland Avenue or Indian School Road.
• Eastbound Loop 303 ramp to southbound Interstate 17 closed from 1 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday (March 21) in north Phoenix for work zone setup as part of Loop 303 widening project. Also: Southbound I-17 narrowed to two lanes between Dove Valley Road and Dixileta Drive. Detour for ramp closure: Eastbound Loop 303 traffic can use northbound 43rd Avenue and travel east on Dove Valley Road to access southbound I-17. Westbound Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive traffic can use the northbound I-17 frontage road to Dove Valley Road to access southbound I-17. 

Restriction schedules are subject to change due to inclement weather or other factors. ADOT plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other improvements in the Phoenix area as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region. 

Most improvement projects are currently funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Voters also approved Proposition 479 in November 2024, extending the existing half-cent tax to fund future transportation projects in the Phoenix region.

Reminder: 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.