I-10

Interstate 10 ramps reopen at Houghton Road after reconstruction

Interstate 10 ramps reopen at Houghton Road after reconstruction

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Interstate 10 ramps reopen at Houghton Road after reconstruction

Interstate 10 ramps reopen at Houghton Road after reconstruction

November 18, 2020

PHOENIX – Two ramps on the east side of the Interstate 10/Houghton Road interchange in Tucson have reopened, restoring full access to drivers as the Arizona Department of Transportation makes progress on a project to rebuild the interchange.

Motorists are now able to use the eastbound on-ramp from Houghton Road to I-10 and the westbound exit ramp from I-10 to Houghton Road. The ramps closed in late August for reconstruction.

The new ramps, along with new bridge piers for the future Houghton Road bridge, are the most significant improvements to date on a $24.4 million project to improve safety and traffic flow in the rapidly growing area east of downtown Tucson.

The new interchange will be an innovative design called a diverging diamond, a configuration where traffic on Houghton Road will make a temporary shift to the left side of Houghton Road while crossing the freeway. This allows for left turns onto entrance ramps without waiting at an additional traffic signal. This design promotes safety because drivers turning left don’t cross traffic while entering the on-ramp.

The new Houghton Road bridge will feature six lanes of traffic, compared with two lanes on the existing structure. Also, the project will improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The two ramps on the west side of the interchange will be rebuilt without extended closures, as ADOT has developed a construction plan that allows those ramps and the new bridge to be constructed with only occasional nighttime closures.

The project is scheduled for completion in late 2021.

More than 115 diverging diamond interchanges are in use in the U.S. as of mid-2020, including a full diverging diamond interchange that opened at Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in Phoenix this month.

For more information about the project and diverging diamond interchanges, please visit azdot.gov/i10Houghton.

Eastbound I-10 traffic switching to new lanes this weekend

Eastbound I-10 traffic switching to new lanes this weekend

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Eastbound I-10 traffic switching to new lanes this weekend

Eastbound I-10 traffic switching to new lanes this weekend

November 12, 2020

PHOENIX – Drivers heading from Marana toward downtown Tucson will begin using the new eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 at Ruthrauff Road this weekend.

Beginning Friday evening, Nov. 13, crews with the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin moving eastbound traffic to the new eastbound lanes as part of a nearly two-year project to rebuild the I-10/Ruthrauff Road interchange. The traffic shift is expected to be completed the morning of Saturday, Nov. 14.

The I-10/Ruthrauff Road interchange project, which remains on schedule and approaching the halfway point, will add a lane in each direction to I-10 and a bridge to carry Ruthrauff Road over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. The improvements will allow traffic to move more smoothly through the area while enhancing safety.

Westbound I-10 traffic is tentatively scheduled to switch to the new eastbound pavement the night of Friday, Nov. 20.

ADOT will maintain three lanes of travel in each direction until the project is completed in late 2021. When the project is finished, I-10 will have four lanes in each direction and Ruthrauff/El Camino del Cerro will have two lanes in each direction. Also, reconstructed frontage roads will connect to the elevated interchange.

ADOT is overseeing the $129 million project, which began in early January. Ruthrauff/El Camino del Cerro will reopen across I-10 in summer 2021, with work continuing through the year to connect frontage roads and ramps. ADOT is maintaining access to area businesses throughout the project.

The project is part of the Regional Transportation Authority’s roadway improvement plan, managed by the Pima Association of Governments.

For more information on the project, please visit azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

Dust detection and warning system tracks its first season

Dust detection and warning system tracks its first season

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Dust detection and warning system tracks its first season

Dust detection and warning system tracks its first season

By Kim Larson / ADOT Communications
November 4, 2020

With its first monsoon season under its belt, data shows that ADOT’s innovative dust detection and warning system works as designed.

Monsoon 2020, however, was not the most robust weather event, jokingly dubbed a ‘nonsoon.’

“It was a mixed blessing,” said David Locher, resident engineer for the project. “Less dust storms is obviously a good thing when it comes to driving conditions; however, we didn't have the normal weather events that would have been ideal for data gathering in our first season.”

There was one 20-minute event that provided measurable data. At one point during that storm, visibility dropped to less than 300 feet, triggering the speed limit to drop to 35 mph, which happens incrementally. How did drivers react to the warning system? The loop detectors showed that the average vehicle was driving about 45 mph, a big drop from the normal 75 mph limit.

“We do know that the system is working — it is doing what it’s supposed to,” said Kevin Duby, statewide road weather manager. “Our next step is to take the data we have to evaluate and determine the efficiencies of the system to improve performance.”

Often debilitating, dust storms in the area between Tucson and Phoenix have been a safety concern for several years. A study from 2010 and 2015 detailed how traffic was impacted along that Interstate 10 corridor, showing 83 dust-related crashes with more than half of them occurring within about a half-mile of each other.

The 10-mile area between mileposts 209 and 219 was identified as the focus of safety efforts. In 2016, ADOT, Arizona Department of Public Safety and National Weather Service staff, as well as vendors and contractors, began creating a system to help Arizona drivers be better equipped to deal with dust storms. Nothing of this nature existed so it was a momentous undertaking and would require substantial funding. A Federal Highway Administration grant was secured to help fund the $72 million project, which also included widening I-10 and improvements to the State Route 87 traffic interchange.

The dust-detection technology employed includes overhead message boards, variable speed limit signs, closed-circuit cameras and short-range detectors for blowing dust. In addition, a long-range weather X-Band radar dish is part of the system, sitting atop a 22-foot-tall pole at the SR 87 interchange that can detect storms more than 40 miles away. X-Band is frequency range from 8 to 12 gigahertz, which is most often used for civil, military and government radar applications such as weather monitoring, air traffic control, maritime vessel traffic control, defense tracking and vehicle speed detection for law enforcement. Its lower frequencies make this band suitable for the harshest weather conditions, providing exceptionally high link availability for weather-monitoring radar solutions.

Despite the literally dry run this year, the first-of-its-kind dust-detection and warning system has already received some impressive kudos. It received regional recognition in the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards contest in the Operational Excellence category. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AAA. The National Weather Service (NWS) also named ADOT as a 2020 Weather Ready Nation Ambassador of Excellence, for upholding the shared mission of protecting life and property through proactive public outreach and hazard mitigation efforts, and specificially cited the dust detection system.

This perfect storm of technology was assembled for this project, and its impact will be measured more in depth as time goes on.

I-10/Houghton interchange work moving quickly to reopen ramps

I-10/Houghton interchange work moving quickly to reopen ramps

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I-10/Houghton interchange work moving quickly to reopen ramps

I-10/Houghton interchange work moving quickly to reopen ramps

By Garin Groff / ADOT Communications
October 27, 2020

One of ADOT’s major priorities while rebuilding the I-10/Houghton Road interchange is to minimize disruptions and closures, which means we’ve got to move really fast when we close a roadway.

If you’ve driven through that interchange in the last couple months, you’ve seen that our crews have moved so quickly that they’ve transformed the landscape on half of the interchange in less than two months. This photo from the project team shows the work so far, including constructing bridge piers for a new overpass on the west side of the interchange, regrading everything on the east side of interchange and building up the earth for new ramps.

That’s a lot of progress for a project that kicked off Aug. 24.

We closed two of the interchange’s ramps in late August, with a goal of rebuilding and reopening them before Thanksgiving. Those ramps – the westbound exit ramp and eastbound on-ramp – are already taking shape and should be paved by early November.

We’ll rebuild the ramps on the west side of the interchange as well, but they will remain open through the project except for an occasional nighttime restriction or closure. Likewise, only occasional overnight restrictions and closures will be needed on Houghton Road. And, I-10 will remain open, though drivers should expect overnight lane restrictions at times.

The new $24.4 million interchange east of downtown Tucson is expected to be complete in late 2021. It will feature southern Arizona’s first diverging diamond interchange – a type of interchange where drivers cross and travel on the left side of the overpass while crossing the interstate.

You can read more about the I-10/Houghton Road project and diverging diamonds here. And if you’ve driven through north Phoenix recently, you may have noticed ADOT opened Arizona’s first major diverging diamond interchange earlier this month at I-17 and Happy Valley Road. The Phoenix interchange won’t be fully complete until late this fall, but the major elements are in place if you’re looking to get a feel for what’s coming to I-10 and Houghton Road in southern Arizona next year.

On I-10 in Tucson, a bridge that finally looks like a bridge

On I-10 in Tucson, a bridge that finally looks like a bridge

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On I-10 in Tucson, a bridge that finally looks like a bridge

On I-10 in Tucson, a bridge that finally looks like a bridge

By Garin Groff / ADOT Communications
October 9, 2020

You probably saw the concrete bridge piers rise from the ground.

And you certainly noticed cranes hoist massive bridge girders onto the piers.

But you may not have thought the future bridge at I-10 and Ruthrauff looked like an actual bridge – until the recent work to pour a concrete deck atop the girders.

The concrete pour signals another important step in the process of building a new Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro bridge that will span I-10 by next year as part of a $129 million interchange reconstruction project in Tucson. It’s the first of several concrete pours that will take place through next year as crews build the structure in phases.

While you can see the concrete deck in place, few people saw the concrete pour because it took place in the middle of the night. Crews worked from about 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on a recent day to complete pouring 290 cubic yards of concrete. 

Those hours aren’t the most fun for a lot of us, but there’s a good reason behind the schedule. The concrete is more workable during cooler nighttime hours at this time of year. And it’s less likely to crack in that temperature range because the concrete sets up more gradually.

Crews poured concrete over just half of the existing structure, and they’ll be back in about a week to finish the remaining portion of the bridge above eastbound I-10.

You’ll see the entire process again above westbound I-10 beginning in early 2021. That will require shifting eastbound and westbound I-10 traffic beneath the portion of the bridge that’s under construction now.

During the entire process, ADOT will maintain three lanes of traffic in each direction during daytime hours. And we’ll maintain access to local businesses.

For updates and traffic alerts, please visit azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 parking solutions

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 parking solutions

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Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 parking solutions

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 parking solutions

By Lisa DeForest / ADOT Communications
October 8, 2020

When we think of essential workers these days, certainly commercial truck drivers are among them.

And after hours on the road, it’s imperative they have a safe place to stop and rest before hitting the highway again. However, when rest stop parking is full, some have a difficult time finding a place to pull over or, even worse, drive fatigued. 

Four states – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas –  make up the I-10 Corridor Coalition, and as a team are working to find a solution. They’re asking commercial drivers and those in the trucking community to complete a survey to understand what parking challenges are faced along the corridor and help plan a system to help. You can take the truck parking survey here

Survey answers will help drive the creation of a Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS), which will monitor open truck parking spots at rest stops along the corridor, and provide this real-time information to truck drivers. Once created, electronic signs would display the number of open parking spaces at 37 public truck stops and rest areas from California to Texas. 

In Arizona, the Department of Transportation is planning to add these improvements at four rest areas along I-10 at locations on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the highway. These include the Bouse Wash, Ehrenberg, Texas Canyon and San Simon rest areas.

Don’t delay! The survey closes Oct. 30, 2020.

For more information about the survey, the I-10 truck parking availability system project or the I-10 Corridor Coalition, visit I10connects.com.

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 truck parking solutions

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 truck parking solutions

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 truck parking solutions

Truck drivers asked to provide input on I-10 truck parking solutions

September 29, 2020

PHOENIX -- A survey of commercial vehicle drivers and dispatchers who travel Interstate 10 is underway to better understand the challenges and issues commercial drivers face when seeking parking at locations along the I-10 corridor. 

The I-10 Corridor Coalition, composed of the departments of transportation in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, is conducting a survey through Oct. 30.

Truck drivers and dispatchers are being asked to provide input to help guide the creation of a truck parking availability system (TPAS). The I-10 Corridor Coalition was awarded a $6.85 million U.S. Department of Transportation Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment grant in 2019 to implement an I-10 truck parking availability system along the corridor in the coalition states. 

To complete the survey, commercial drivers and dispatchers can use this survey link (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/I10TPAS2020) or visit  i10connects.com  and go to the TPAS Get Involved page.

The purpose of the I-10 Corridor Coalition project is to implement a truck parking availability detection and information system at 37 public truck parking locations along the I-10 Corridor from California to Texas. This system will provide real-time truck parking information to assist truck drivers and dispatchers in making informed parking decisions, and improve safety, mobility, operational and environmental elements. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation is planning to make improvements at four Arizona rest areas along I-10 at locations on both the eastbound and westbound sides of the highway. Those rest areas include Bouse Wash, Ehrenberg, Texas Canyon and San Simon.

For more information about the survey, the I-10 truck parking availability system project, or the I-10 Corridor Coalition, please visit i10connects.com.

 

Bridge girders a big sign of progress at I-10 and Ruthrauff

Bridge girders a big sign of progress at I-10 and Ruthrauff

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Bridge girders a big sign of progress at I-10 and Ruthrauff

Bridge girders a big sign of progress at I-10 and Ruthrauff

By Garin Groff / ADOT Communications
September 16, 2020

Nine months into a project to rebuild the Interstate 10 interchange at Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro, drivers have something to look up to.

It’s not just one thing to look up to, but 15 massive new bridge girders that have been set in place to create half of the Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro structure that will eventually span the interstate in Tucson.

The bridge girders over the new eastbound lanes of I-10 are the most high-profile sign of progress to date on the $129 million project that began in January. They’re visible from quite a distance to drivers on I-10, and for good reason – they’re massive. The girders stretch 138 feet and stand 6 feet tall. Each one weighs in at 158,000 pounds.

The girders are just one part of constructing the bridge, as crews will spend the next couple months building the bridge deck that will eventually carry traffic.

Aside from the bridge girders, crews have rebuilt about one mile of eastbound I-10 with a new concrete surface. Also, retaining walls for the new eastbound frontage road are going in. 

You can expect to see more bridge girders going into place this October, when the structure over the Union Pacfic Railroad to the east of I-10 will start to take shape.

As for the remaining bridge section over westbound I-10, crews will begin that segment in early 2021. By January, we expect to shift both eastbound and westbound traffic onto the new eastbound I-10 lanes. That will allow crews to construct the westbound portion of the bridge while also reconstructing the westbound I-10 lanes.

Once the interchange is complete by late 2021, drivers can cross over the railroad tracks without having to stop for the train.

Don’t forget: ADOT is maintaining access to local businesses through the entire project. For updates and traffic alerts, please visit azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

The I-10 Deck Park Tunnel turns 30!

The I-10 Deck Park Tunnel turns 30!

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The I-10 Deck Park Tunnel turns 30!

The I-10 Deck Park Tunnel turns 30!

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications
August 28, 2020

We're blowing out the candles for the Deck Park Tunnel as it turns 30! 

You may have noticed the Deck Park Tunnel was closed this past weekend, but there was no birthday makeover happening. The closure was to allow crews to perform regular maintenance. Our video from earlier this year explains the work crews do each quarter to keep the 30-year-old tunnel looking its best.    

Let's go back to the beginning and the tunnel opening in August 1990. Before the Deck Park Tunnel officially opened to traffic on Aug. 10, the public was allowed to walk, ride and tour the tunnel. When it began taking traffic in 1990, the tunnel was touted as the final segment that connected Interstate 10 from coast to coast. The 2,500 mile interstate begins in Santa Monica, California and ends in Jacksonville, Florida and took more than 30 years to complete. Interstate 10, just in Arizona, is nearly 400 miles long. 

Before we continue, it's important to note the Deck Park Tunnel isn't actually a tunnel. It consists of 19 side-by-side bridges. On top of all of those bridges is Margaret T. Hance Park. The 32-acre city park is more than just a green space. It's home to Arizona Humanities, Burton Barr Central Library, Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, Irish Cultural Center, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Now, back to the Deck Park Tunnel, also known as the Papago Freeway Tunnel. The tunnel has much more going on than the 290,000 vehicles that travel through it each day. It is home to more than 3,000 lightbulbs, 4 large ventilation fans and one hidden lane. That single lane goes between the east- and westbound tubes and was meant to be an express bus lane. It's not in use and is closed to the public. The tunnel is also home to a control room. It was the original location for the ADOT Traffic Operations Center. Today, ADOT employees who manage the tunnel and its operations work in that control room. You can see the original control panel in the photo to the left.

We hope we've given you a good background on the Deck Park Tunnel and that you've gained a new appreciation for the birthday girl the next time you drive through it! If you'd like to learn more about the tunnel, visit the ADOT Blog.

 

Houghton Road interchange replacement project set to begin

Houghton Road interchange replacement project set to begin

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Houghton Road interchange replacement project set to begin

Houghton Road interchange replacement project set to begin

August 21, 2020

PHOENIX – An entirely new kind of traffic interchange for southern Arizona will start to take shape Monday, Aug. 24, as the Arizona Department of Transportation begins work on a project to improve access to Interstate 10 at Houghton Road.

The new $24.4 million interchange - an innovative design called a diverging diamond - will improve safety and traffic flow in a rapidly growing area of Pima County east of downtown Tucson.

The diverging diamond design has a major difference from the existing standard diamond interchange in place today: Traffic on Houghton Road will make a temporary shift to the left side of Houghton Road while crossing the freeway. This allows for left turns onto entrance ramps without waiting at an additional traffic signal. The design promotes safety because drivers turning left don’t cross traffic while entering the on-ramp.

ADOT traffic engineers chose this design because it can handle higher traffic volumes in the growing southeast Tucson area, where traffic is expected to increase by as much as 50 percent by 2045.

The new Houghton Road bridge will feature six lanes of traffic, compared with two lanes on the existing structure. Also, the project will improve access for pedestrians and bicyclists. ADOT has developed a construction plan that minimizes traffic impacts by building the new Houghton Road bridge while traffic continues to use the existing structure.

During the first week of construction, traffic impacts are expected to be minor as crews begin clearing areas in the work zone and mobilizing equipment.

Starting as soon as Monday, Aug. 31, the entrance ramp from Houghton Road to eastbound I-10 and the exit ramp from westbound I-10 to Houghton Road will close for nearly three months. The full closures of the two ramps will allow crews to reconstruct the ramps in one phase. Traffic will be detoured to the Colossal Cave/Wentworth Road interchange.

Starting in September, motorists can expect the following overnight restrictions at times:

  • Narrowing I-10 to a single lane in each direction
  • Occasional closures of Houghton Road at I-10
  • Occasional closures of various ramps between I-10 and Houghton Road

The project is scheduled for completion in late 2021. 

More than 115 diverging diamond interchanges are in use in the U.S. as of mid-2020, including two half-diverging diamond interchanges on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway in Phoenix. A full diverging diamond interchange is scheduled to open at Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Road in Phoenix later this year. 

For more information about the project and diverging diamond interchanges, please visit azdot.gov/i10Houghton.