By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

There’s a new bridge on State Route 87, but you may never notice it as you drive by just north of Interstate 10. You’ll never drive on it. And in the fall of 2019, when the work to widen I-10 and build a new interchange nearby is complete, the new bridge will come down for use somewhere else.

Because of this temporary bridge, the southernmost section of SR 87 will be safer for drivers, and the work will be done even faster.

The pit for this project – an area near the work site where crews take dirt for use in the construction – is located just east of SR 87, a short distance north of the work. Without the temporary bridge, construction vehicles would need to drive on SR 87 between the pit and the work site, causing delays for drivers and making that area potentially dangerous for drivers.

Enter Coffman Specialties, the contractor building new lanes of I-10, a new interchange at SR 87 and a new dust detection and warning zone on 10 miles of the interstate. Coffman is putting in an Acrow temporary bridge that not only will carry construction equipment but can handle much larger loads than the existing SR 87 bridge.

How much larger? Without the bridge, engineers were estimating trucks would carry 80,000 loads of dirt and other materials between the pit and the job site. With the new bridge, that number should be fewer than 20,000 loads.

The temporary bridge will remain in place until about the end of 2018. The impact on drivers – aside from having a safer environment – is that SR 87 will be reduced to one lane in each direction until the project is complete. Any delays will be brief.

The project is the first of two I-10 widening efforts that will make I-10 a six-lane freeway from the northern edge of Casa Grande to the east side of Tucson. A meeting to prepare for the second project, which includes widening I-10 between Earley Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, will happen in less than a month.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Just to the east of Interstate 10, about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix, you can see the progress as Arizona Department of Transportation crews begin building a new interchange at State Route 87 in Eloy.

The new interchange is part of a $58 million project that also includes widening I-10 to six lanes, realigning a section of the freeway to the east and a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone designed to make the freeway safer for drivers when blowing dust makes it difficult for drivers to see the road ahead.

Steel supports are now visible for the interchange, which will carry traffic over both the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and I-10, connecting with Phillips Road to the south.

There will be few restrictions for I-10 traffic until crews begin connecting the new lanes of I-10 with the existing freeway later this year. The ramp from eastbound I-10 to northbound SR 87 is closed, and drivers should watch for signs to direct them around construction.

The project is the first of two I-10 widening efforts that will make I-10 a six-lane freeway from the northern edge of Casa Grande to the east side of Tucson. Work on the second project, which includes widening I-10 between Earley Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, should begin in the spring.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

In 1965, as Interstate 10 was first making its way through Pima County, the bridge over Ina Road was among the first to be completed.

On the first Friday morning of 2018, that bridge came down to make way for a newer, wider, safer traffic interchange.

The flurry of activity that brought down the bridge was the first of many big steps that will shape the future for many years to come.

The Ina Road project – including new bridges to carry Ina Road over I-10, Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the Santa Cruz River, as well as widening both Ina and I-10 – is near its midpoint. The work should be complete a little more than a year from now. The next big step: Before the end of January westbound traffic will be moved to share the road with eastbound traffic on the new eastbound lanes.

Ina Road isn’t the only major freeway interchange getting improvements. The first phase of Ajo Way (State Route 86) interchange improvements will be completed in the spring. The new bridge already has a safer, wider single-point urban interchange and will include wider lanes on Interstate 19, a new bridge over the Santa Cruz River and a new pedestrian bridge at Michigan Avenue.

That’s not all we’re doing to improve roads in Pima County. East of downtown Tucson, this spring we’ll begin adding traffic signals and other improvements at the eastbound I-10 exits for Wilmot, Rita and Kolb roads. We already made similar changes at Houghton Road last year.

Our crystal ball – a.k.a. the state’s five-year construction program – shows there is more in store for Tucson and Pima County. Perhaps the biggest: widening I-10 over the three-plus miles from Ina to Ruthrauff. That work is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2021.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Get ready, Pinal County. A big year is beginning.

Four major projects – three of them along Interstate 10 between Picacho and Casa Grande – will begin in earnest in January. All four will keep our engineers and construction crews busy for the next two years, making transportation in Pinal County smoother and safer.

Construction crews have already begun moving dirt east of I-10 in Eloy to add a third lane in each direction between Eloy and Picacho. Our crews will create a new interchange with State Route 87 and create a new alignment to the east of the current travel lanes. The added lanes will reduce congestion and make the road safer.

At the same time, we’re also building a dust detection system unlike anything that has been done in the U.S. Short- and long-range radar systems will help identify when blowing dust is creating a hazard for drivers, while electronic message boards and variable speed limits will get information to drivers that can help them make safe decisions.

The two projects, which are being done at the same time to coordinate the work, will cost about $58 million and are expected to be complete in fall 2019. Most of the work will be done away from the current travel lanes, meaning few restrictions and delays during the work.

In mid-January, the State Transportation Board will consider awarding the contract for widening a second section of I-10, between Earley Road and Interstate 8. The estimated $40 million project also includes replacing the bridge at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard and other improvements. Completion of that project is expected by late 2019.

And 20 miles up Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, work is set to begin on a bridge that will carry State Route 347 over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, eliminating frequent delays and increasing safety on the city’s busiest roadway. The $55 million project also is scheduled for completion by late 2019. Like the other projects, most of the work will be done away from current travel lanes, reducing delays.

The animation at right shows what the bridge is going to look like.

Four projects, a $150 million investment in Pinal County transportation and a boost for one of Arizona’s most-important key commerce corridors. We can’t wait to get going.

By Dustin Krugel / ADOT Communications

Nearly one year after major construction began on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the state’s largest single project ever, signs of progress abound in the 22-mile corridor. You'll see some this progress (of Salt River bridge construction) in the slideshow above, and many more photos are available on our South Mountain Freeway Flickr page.

This progress is good news for Valley motorists, as the South Mountain Freeway is going to bring traffic relief when it opens by late 2019.

Throughout this year, crews have relocated utilities, started work on bridges, built sound walls and made significant progress on freeway-to-freeway ramps taking shape at Interstate 10 and 59th Avenue in the West Valley.

Through the end of November, more than 3.6 million cubic yards of dirt had been moved to build bridge and wall foundations, embankments and connecting ramps. Eight miles of drainage pipe was installed and 5.8 million pounds of reinforced steel planted. That's according to ADOT and Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for building the freeway.

Some of the highlights:

Pecos segment (32nd Lane to I-10 Maricopa/Loop 202 Santan Freeway)

• An interim Pecos Road supports local traffic while mainline freeway construction occurs just north of the roadway
• Overpasses at 40th Street and 17th Avenue are nearing completion

Salt River segment (Lower Buckeye Road to 51st Avenue)

• Construction has begun on interchanges at Elliot Road and Southern Avenue, which are closed temporarily for this work
• Two half-mile Salt River bridges, the longest on the project, are about halfway complete

I-10 segment (I-10 Papago to Lower Buckeye Road and improvements to I-10 between 43rd and 75th avenues)

• Work is more than one-third complete on a 1,500-foot flyover ramp that will carry northbound South Mountain Freeway traffic to westbound I-10
• Work is nearly halfway done on two access roads adjacent to I-10 that will improve traffic flow between 51st and 67th avenues

The South Mountain Freeway will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to I-10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

For more information on the project, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Holiday parties? On the last pre-holiday weekend of the year?

No, thanks. There’s work to do.

While some of us might get an early start on the Christmas and New Year’s holidays waiting for us over the next two weekends, Arizona Department of Transportation crews at Ajo Way and Ina Road will be firming up their credentials for Santa’s nice list by taking major steps on those two big projects.

On Friday night at Ajo Way, we’ll be pouring concrete to form the deck on the new bridge that carries Ajo (State Route 86) over Interstate 19. When we begin the work at 10 p.m., we’ll close I-19 in both directions for your safety. Traffic will use the exit and ramps to leave and return to the freeway. Ajo Way will be closed, so there will be no turns at Ajo.

Around sunrise, once the concrete is poured, we’ll open I-19 again but close the exit and entrance ramps. You can use Irvington or 29th Street as alternative exits. By midday on Saturday, Dec. 16, we should be finished and traffic will go back to normal.

Meanwhile in Marana, crews will use Saturday and Sunday to move traffic onto new roads they built during 2017.

On I-10 Saturday night, crews will direct eastbound traffic on I-10 to the new eastbound lanes. Work has already been completed on a bridge that will carry Ina Road over the new freeway lanes. Sometime in January, westbound I-10 will also be moved to the new pavement, giving drivers three lanes in each direction.

There will be no rest on Sunday. About a mile to the west of I-10, we’ll move Ina Road traffic to a new bridge over the Santa Cruz River.

After all that holiday fun, we have big plans for celebrating the New Year. On I-10, we’ll demolish the old bridge that once carried westbound traffic, build new westbound lanes, and finish the bridge carrying Ina over the freeway and railroad tracks. On the Santa Cruz River we’ll remove the old bridge and replace it with a new two-lane bridge.

And that’s how we plan to put a bow on two of Pima County’s biggest projects for a year well spent.