PHOENIX – With a second Interstate 10 widening project in Pinal County scheduled to begin in the next week, drivers can look forward to having three lanes in each direction between Casa Grande and Tucson within 18 months.

Arizona Department of Transportation crews will begin work to widen 1-10 from just south of Earley Road to Interstate 8 (mileposts 196-200) in Casa Grande. The $36.6 million project is scheduled for completion by summer 2019.

The project is just west of another at Eloy (mileposts 209-213), where ADOT crews are building new lanes, adding a new traffic interchange at State Route 87 and creating a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone. That project, which began in December, is scheduled to be completed in fall 2019.

The Casa Grande widening project will add one lane in each direction adjacent to the median, with a concrete barrier separating directions of travel, and will create new bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard. The work also will include auxiliary lanes in both directions between I-8 and Jimmie Kerr Boulevard, providing a safer alternative to the existing ramps.

A joint venture of Ames and Combs construction companies will perform the work.

Although crews will be working near travel lanes, the project at Casa Grande isn’t expected to increase congestion in the area. Lane restrictions are expected to take place at night, leaving two lanes open to traffic in both directions during heavy travel times. The Eloy widening project also is expected to cause minimal disruption for drivers because the new I-10 lanes and SR 87 interchanges are being built east of the current freeway alignment.

PHOENIX – After moving more than 450,000 cubic yards of earth, enough to fill up 150 Olympic-size swimming pools, construction on the Southern Avenue traffic interchange for the South Mountain Freeway remains on track to reopen Southern next month between 61st Avenue and 64th Place in Laveen.

The closure of Southern Avenue that began Nov. 27 has allowed crews to safely move this large amount of dirt without having to cross local traffic and has accelerated construction of the southern half of the interchange as the Arizona Department of Transportation moves even closer to opening the 22-mile freeway by late 2019.

This work has required motorists to temporarily detour between 51st and 67th avenues, with Broadway and Baseline roads as options, until this first phase of construction is complete.

In addition to the extensive earthwork, crews have completed substantial work that isn’t visible as it occurred below grade, including installing underground utilities and drainage structures. Above ground, crews have built bridge columns and retaining walls that will support a 125-foot-long bridge and have removed the existing roadway.

Today, crews started work to pave the eastbound lanes that motorists in both directions will share until the westbound lanes are built at a later date.

When the northern half of the interchange is complete, the westbound lanes will be paved to complete the widening of Southern Avenue (one lane in each direction along with dedicated left- and right-turn lanes).  A full closure of Southern Avenue won’t be necessary for this phase of work, though occasional overnight closures will be needed to place bridge girders and pour the bridge deck.

After the Southern Avenue closure is lifted, additional work will include paving the ramps and mainline freeway, installing signage, constructing retaining walls, finishing construction of the Southern Avenue bridge, completing final striping and adding landscaping.

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 South Mountain Freeway, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

TUCSON – Those living and working in one of Pima County’s fastest-growing areas will be able to access Interstate 10 more efficiently and safely using a new style of traffic interchange planned at Houghton Road east of downtown Tucson.

Arizona Department of Transportation engineers will introduce a diverging diamond interchange, the first of its kind in Pima County, at an open house scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, in the auditorium at Empire High School, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way. From the Houghton exit on I-10, go north on Houghton about one mile to Mary Ann Cleveland Way, then go east to the school.

“We’re using the latest in freeway design to better accommodate the needs of this community,” said Rod Lane, district engineer for ADOT’s South Central District. “The diverging diamond design will help move traffic efficiently, and, by reducing the number of conflict points where vehicles cross paths, make this interchange as safe as possible.”

In a diverging diamond interchange, local street traffic makes a temporary shift to the left side while crossing the freeway, allowing for direct left turns onto entrance ramps without waiting at an additional traffic signal. This design is a good fit for the growing southeast Tucson area because it can handle higher traffic volumes. It also promotes safety because drivers turning left don’t cross traffic.

Traffic on I-10 in eastern Pima County is expected to increase by as much as 50 percent by 2045, and traffic on Houghton Road is expected to increase by 500 percent north of I-10 and 200 percent south of the freeway. The reconstructed interchange will provide relief for motorists accessing existing and planned residential and business developments in the surrounding areas. The project also includes reconstructing Houghton Road on both sides of the freeway.

More than 80 diverging diamond interchanges have been built in 29 states since 2009. ADOT also has announced plans for diverging diamonds at Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in Phoenix and at two South Mountain Freeway interchanges.

Those attending the open house can view plans for the interchange, ask questions of ADOT designers and offer comments and suggestions. Those who are unable to attend can provide comments or ask questions by calling the ADOT Bilingual Project Information Line at 855.712.8530, contacting us online or by sending written comments to ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson Street, MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

The Houghton interchange is scheduled for construction to begin in 2020.

For additional information, please visit the project website at azdot.gov/I10HoughtonTI.

PHOENIX – Changes are in store for motorists in the West Valley as multiple ramps leading to and from Interstate 10 will be permanently closed and reconfigured over the next several months to make room for an interchange connecting to the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. This will also require several weekend closures of I-10 until ramp work is completed this fall.

In place of the ramps, the Arizona Department of Transportation and Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for building the South Mountain Freeway, will construct new roadways parallel to I-10 providing local access between 51st and 67th avenues that will permanently replace freeway access at 59th Avenue.

The first ramp closure is scheduled for the I-10 westbound off-ramp at 51st Avenue, which will be closed from Saturday, Jan. 27, to Saturday, March 3. In conjunction with this ramp closure, westbound I-10 will be closed between 43rd and 59th avenues from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, and 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29.

The construction of the new access roads, which will be completed over the next nine months, will change how drivers access I-10 between 51st and 67th avenues. Motorists will have dedicated on- and off-ramps at 67th Avenue in addition to the access road.

Motorists wishing to enter or exit the freeway in this area will eventually use these new 2-mile-long roadways to access local streets, similar to the I-10 stretch between 91st and 107th avenues near the Loop 101 junction. For example, a driver on westbound I-10 needing to get off at 59th Avenue will exit at 51st Avenue and travel west on the access road to 59th Avenue.

This work will require weekend closures of I-10 as well as long-term and permanent closures of existing on- and off-ramps. During the weekend closures, traffic will be diverted to McDowell Road or Van Buren Street.

The I-10 ramp closures are expected to last approximately 30-60 days for each ramp.

Visit SouthMountainFreeway.com and az511.gov for the latest traffic restrictions.  Commuters should allow extra travel time and consider using other routes, use Valley Metro express bus routes or go to SharetheRide.com and look for a carpool or vanpool.

The South Mountain Freeway, which is scheduled to open in late 2019, 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.

TUCSON ‒ Removing the bridge that once carried westbound Interstate 10 traffic over Ina Road was the first step in what will be a busy 2018 in the Tucson area for the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Tucson will see the completion of the first phase of renovations at Ajo Way and Interstate 19, the near completion of a new interchange at I-10 and Ina Road and a project to ease congestion at I-10 interchanges serving fast-growing areas east of downtown Tucson.

At Ajo Way (State Route 86), ADOT has created a single-point urban interchange, the third in the Tucson area with a single set of traffic signals controlling all traffic movements. After the first phase of the project is complete this spring, ADOT will prepare for the 18-month second phase of work, which will widen Ajo Way and I-19, create a new Ajo Way bridge over the Santa Cruz River and construct a new Michigan Avenue pedestrian bridge over I-19.

The first phase of the Ajo Way project cost about $40 million, and the second phase is estimated to cost $27 million.

On the last weekend in January, westbound I-10 traffic at Ina Road in Marana will begin sharing the new pavement that now carries eastbound traffic, with a concrete barrier separating the directions of travel. The move will allow construction crews to build the eastern half of the Ina Road bridge and complete the remaining work to widen both I-10 and Ina Road. The project, which also includes a second new bridge carrying Ina Road over the Santa Cruz River, is on schedule for completion in early 2019.

ADOT is overseeing the $128 million Ina Road project, which is funded by the Federal Highway Administration, the Pima Association of Governments and the Regional Transportation Authority. The town of Marana is contributing $7.9 million toward the cost of the new bridges over the Santa Cruz River west of I-10.

East of downtown Tucson, ADOT will continue making improvements to several interchanges to improve traffic flow. In 2017, ADOT added a traffic signal and a right turn bay at the end of the Houghton Road eastbound exit ramp. Beginning this spring, crews will start adding traffic signals at the eastbound 10 exits for Wilmot, Rita and Kolb roads, with the work scheduled for completion before the end of the year. At Rita Road, crews will add a right turn lane on the eastbound exit and a second merging lane for the westbound on-ramp.