PHOENIX – Drivers who use Interstate 10 in the Vail area during nighttime and early morning hours should budget extra travel time for approximately two weeks starting Wednesday, Aug. 21. Lane restrictions are needed for an Arizona Department of Transportation project to replace two bridge decks spanning the freeway southeast of Tucson.

Bridges at the State Route 83 and Colossal Cave/Wentworth Road interchanges will be upgraded during this project, which is scheduled for completion in fall 2020. Crews will begin with the SR 83 bridge and then move to Colossal Cave/Wentworth Road.

I-10 will be reduced to one lane in each direction overnight near State Route 83 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. starting Wednesday evening. A 45 mph speed limit will be in place in the work zone. The restrictions will allow crews to construct a temporary bypass in the interstate median.

Starting in early September, the SR 83 bridge over I-10 is scheduled to be reduced to a single lane with traffic controlled by a signal. In addition, overnight bridge closures will be required at certain points during this project.

For more information and to subscribe to receive project updates, please visit azdot.gov/VailBridges.

Real-time highway conditions and restrictions for improvement projects are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, by calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT. When a freeway closure or other major traffic event occurs, our free app available at ADOTAlerts.com will send critical information directly to app users in affected areas – where possible, in advance of alternate routes.

PHOENIX – A 4-mile stretch of Interstate 10 in Casa Grande now offers three lanes in each direction, moving the Arizona Department of Transportation ever closer to its goal of expanding to six-lane freeway all the way between Tucson and Phoenix.

The $43 million widening project nearing completion between Earley Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande also replaced the I-10 bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard to accommodate three lanes in each direction.

This complements a $72 million project widening 4 miles of I-10 to three lanes in each direction between Eloy and Picacho. That work, which is nearing completion, is creating new travel lanes to replace what was a curving stretch, has built a new interchange with State Route 87 and is creating a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone on 10 miles between Eloy and Picacho Peak.

Final work on both of these I-10 widening projects is scheduled for completion later this year. Thanks to these and other ADOT investments in recent years, the 23 miles of I-10 crossing the Gila River Indian Community between State Route 387 near Casa Grande and Queen Creek Road near Chandler will soon be the only stretch between Phoenix and Tucson with two lanes in each direction.

For the remaining stretch with two lanes in each direction, ADOT is collaborating with the Maricopa Association of Governments and the Gila River Indian Community on a design concept report and environmental study on adding a lane in each direction and improving existing interchanges. While funding for initial improvements is tentatively planned for fiscal year 2023, the study will determine when construction would begin and establish the time frame for improvements.

PHOENIX – With planned Interstate 17 flex lanes between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point set for construction starting by 2021, the state budget approved by state lawmakers and signed by Governor Doug Ducey provides the additional funding needed to also complete widening I-17 south of where the flex system will be built.

This $130 million investment to complete new third lanes in both directions of I-17 between Anthem and Black Canyon City is one of many in the budget that will expand and preserve transportation infrastructure across Arizona. Appropriations from the State General Fund include $10 million for an ADOT study on adding lanes to Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson and $10.5 million for preserving state highways to extend the life of existing pavement.

“As Governor Ducey and members of the legislature recognize, investing in critical transportation infrastructure will drive Arizona’s 21st century economy. Our leaders are investing today to support Arizona’s future prosperity,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “As we expand critical commerce corridors and safeguard our state’s $22.6 billion investment in our transportation system, it’s equally important to keep roads in our rural communities safe and reliable.”

In addition to baseline funding for transportation and infrastructure, the budget includes more than $95 million in appropriations from the State General Fund for targeted transportation projects that will improve safety and spur economic development in Greater Arizona. This includes $28 million for expanding US 95 between Yuma and Yuma Proving Ground, that region’s largest employer. There is $20 million to help build two Interstate 40 interchanges needed to accommodate growth in Kingman, with the city providing the remainder of the funding required.

ADOT has been working to advance projects to improve traffic flow and safety along 23 miles of I-17 between Anthem and Sunset Point north of Phoenix. More than $190 million was already committed to building flex lanes north of Black Canyon City as well as adding 7 miles of a third southbound lane directly south of that project.

Investing an additional $130 million over three years will allow ADOT to complete all sections of new third lanes between Anthem and Black Canyon City. Combined with the flex lanes, this increased capacity will enhance safety and help address traffic flow challenges and backups that occur due to crashes and when many drivers are traveling to or from Arizona’s high country on summer weekends.

The Maricopa Association of Governments is providing $50 million in regional funds to help fund the widening of I-17 between Black Canyon City and Anthem.

The I-17 flex lanes will operate as a separate two-lane roadway carrying one direction of traffic at a time depending on the greatest need along the steep 8 miles between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point. With gates at each end and separated by concrete barrier from the current southbound lanes, the flex lanes will be able to carry heavier northbound traffic on a Friday or southbound traffic on a Sunday. They also can keep traffic moving if there is a closure in that stretch.

Required environmental studies for the I-17 corridor are scheduled to be completed by this summer, with the projects scheduled for completion by 2023.

The budget commits $10 million from the State General Fund to an ADOT study, in collaboration with the Maricopa Association of Governments and Gila River Indian Community, on adding a lane in each direction and improving interchanges on I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande. Completing a design concept report and environmental study will determine needs and costs, and establish how the improvements will be phased. This process is on track to begin this year with an accelerated 18-month timeline.

The $51.1 million in funds, including $10.5 million in additional funding from the State General Fund, will allow ADOT to preserve the road surface along more miles of state highway through treatments known as fog seals and chip seals. These investments are critical to extend the life of existing pavement by sealing road surfaces against the ravages of weather, heavy use and time.

The budget’s other transportation infrastructure investments from the State General Fund include:

• $18 million for counties and cities and towns
• $10 million for local aviation projects
• $6.5 million for Mesa to construct a State Route 24 bridge over Ellsworth Road
• $2.8 million for Globe to repair or replace the Jesse Hayes Road over Pinal Creek

PHOENIX ‒ The Orange Grove Road exit ramp from westbound Interstate 10, closed to traffic for driver safety during the reconstruction of the Ina Road interchange, has reopened to traffic this morning.

Also opening this morning are the westbound frontage road from Orange Grove to Cortaro roads. The eastbound frontage road connecting Cortaro and Ina roads also is open.

On Ina Road four lanes are now open from I-10 east to Camino de las Capas. Lane restrictions west of I-10 will be reduced over the next few weeks as crews complete final work in that area.

One of the largest projects in southern Arizona in recent years, the $128 million Ina Road interchange reconstruction included removing the I-10 overpass at Ina Road and building new bridges to carry Ina Road over I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. It also included widening Ina Road from I-10 to west of the Santa Cruz River and replacing a single bridge over the river with two, two-lane bridges. The finished work also includes multi-use paths that connect to The Loop.

Work began in February 2017, with Ina Road reopening in March 2019 and freeway ramps opening in April 2019.

Ina Road is the third major I-10 interchange reconstruction project, following similar efforts at Prince and Twin Peaks roads. Work is expected to begin in late 2019 on a fourth interchange project at Ruthrauff Road.

PHOENIX – Drivers who normally would use the westbound Interstate 10 exit ramp at 43rd Avenue should plan on using an alternate route until late September.

The westbound I-10 off-ramp at 43rd Avenue closed this week for an ongoing Arizona Department of Transportation project to add another lane along the freeway. 

Drivers should plan to use alternate routes, including exiting at 51st Avenue, while the westbound off-ramp at43rd Avenue is closed through the summer.

For updates about freeway conditions and restrictions visit ADOT’s Travel Information site at az511.gov or call 511.

ADOT plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other improvements as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region. The primary funding source for regional freeway improvements is a half-cent sales tax approved by county voters in 2004. More information about ADOT projects and the regional plan is available at azdot.gov/projects.

PHOENIX ‒ Drivers on Interstate 10 and Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Casa Grande should watch for overnight restrictions and possible delays over the next two weeks as Arizona Department of Transportation crews place girders for new I-10 bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.

Work is scheduled to begin Tuesday night, April 30, and continue until about Thursday, May 9. Restrictions will be in place from 8 p.m. each night until 6 a.m. the following morning.

Two new two-lane bridges carrying I-10 traffic opened in January. Crews are now working on additions to those bridges to accommodate a third lane and a shoulder in each direction.

I-10 will remain open throughout the work, with lane restrictions planned near Jimmie Kerr Boulevard (milepost 198). Drivers should watch for signs to indicate which lane is closed.

Jimmie Kerr Boulevard will be closed occasionally at I-10 during the work. Westbound drivers can enter westbound I-10 at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard, exit at Florence Boulevard, then take I-10 eastbound to the Jimmie Kerr Boulevard exit. Eastbound drivers take Trekell Road south to I-8, then go east to I-10 and exit at Sunland Gun Road (exit 200).

ADOT is widening a 4-mile section of I-10 from Earley Road to east of Interstate 8 (milepost 196-200). The project is expected to be complete by late summer.

Along with a similar project widening a 4-mile section of I-10 near Eloy, the work will create a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande through Tucson. The second project, which includes an innovative dust detection zone, is scheduled for completion by early fall.