PHOENIX – Motorists traveling from the West Valley toward downtown Phoenix this weekend should allow extra travel time and plan ahead to avoid a closure of eastbound Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway) between 67th and 51st avenues due to construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Eastbound I-10 will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday, April 26, to 4 a.m. Monday, April 29, in west Phoenix.

To avoid delays on eastbound I-10, motorists should consider alternate routes, including the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) west of Interstate 17, or exiting I-10 sooner and taking local streets to re-enter past the closure point.

The closure will allow two large cranes to safely set 21 concrete beams over the eastbound I-10 travel lanes that will support the HOV flyover bridges connecting I-10 with the South Mountain Freeway.

Eastbound I-10 traffic can exit at 67th Avenue and detour either to the eastbound I-10 access road or McDowell Road before re-entering the freeway at 51st Avenue; however, heavy delays are likely. In addition, the eastbound I-10 on-ramps at 91st, 83rd, 79th and 75th avenues will be closed to help reduce traffic backups.

In addition, a portion of 59th Avenue will be closed in both directions between McDowell Road and Roosevelt Street from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 to paint one of the flyover bridges.

The 22-mile South Mountain Freeway is scheduled for full completion in 2020, although traffic is expected to be using the freeway earlier. It 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 information on the project, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX ‒ The eastbound on-ramp to Interstate 10 at State Route 87 will close for seven weeks on Monday, April 29, allowing Arizona Department of Transportation crews to take important steps toward completion of the project to widen I-10 north of Picacho Peak.

By the time a new on-ramp opens in mid-June, it is expected to connect with new eastbound lanes. When those new lanes open, also in June, I-10 will be a six-lane freeway from milepost 209 to 213.

During the closure, drivers can reach eastbound I-10 by taking westbound I-10 to Sunshine Boulevard (exit 208), then entering eastbound I-10.

Crews also are about to begin work on components of an innovative dust-detection zone in a 10-mile area from Eloy to Picacho Peak. Initial work includes installing foundations for electronic message boards that will provide safety information to drivers during dusty conditions. Crews also will install about 10 miles of fiber-optic cable that will connect radar and other equipment in the area from milepost 209-219.

The dust detection zone also will include short- and long-range radar to identify blowing dust in the area, electronic message boards to get information to drivers, variable speed limits to slow drivers during potentially dangerous conditions and closed-circuit cameras to allow ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center to see conditions in real time.

Work is expected to be complete this fall. Combined with a related project widening 4 miles of I-10 in Casa Grande, the work will create a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande to Tucson. Work on the Casa Grande project is expected to be completed by late summer.

PHOENIX ‒ Ramps connecting Ina Road with Interstate 10 in Marana have opened to traffic, completing the Arizona Department of Transportation’s renovation of a vital interchange in northwest Pima County.

The new, larger interchange and associated improvements reduce congestion in a growing area while improving safety by eliminating the need for drivers on Ina Road to wait for passing trains many times each day.

Although the ramps are open, crews must complete final elements of the project. Lane restrictions are scheduled to continue for the next several weeks.

Work continues to widen Ina Road from I-10 west to the Santa Cruz River and connect the wider road to a new westbound bridge over the river. That part of the project is expected to be complete by June.

ADOT crews opened Ina Road over I-10 on March 15. Crews have worked since then to complete the ramps and put down new pavement along Ina Road and adjacent streets.

ADOT is overseeing $128 million in improvements, which are 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.

This is the third I-10 interchange in the area to be renovated in recent years. At Ina Road as well as Prince Road and Twin Peaks, crews replaced underpasses at I-10 with bridges carrying traffic over the interstate and Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Construction is expected to begin this fall on a similar effort, at Ruthrauff Road.

PHOENIX – Girders are about to be set in place on the new bridge carrying westbound Interstate 10 over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Casa Grande, another important step in the project to widen a 4-mile section of the freeway.

Westbound I-10 will be reduced to one lane just north of Interstate 8 from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. beginning on Monday, April 8, and continuing until Sunday morning, April 14. Jimmie Kerr Boulevard will be closed at I-10 during those times.

During the work, drivers on I-10 should slow down and expect minor delays. Drivers on eastbound Jimmie Kerr Boulevard can use Trekel Road to eastbound I-8 to Sunland Gin Road. Drivers on westbound Jimmie Kerr Boulevard can use the on-ramp to westbound I-10 and travel to Exit 194 (Florence Boulevard), then follow eastbound I-10 back to Jimmie Kerr Boulevard.

Traffic was moved to new bridges over Jimmie Kerr in January, with two lanes in each direction. The new bridges will allow for a third lane and a shoulder in each direction. Over the next three months crews will pour the concrete deck for the new bridge and pave new lanes. The project is scheduled for completion in late August.

The work is part of an effort to widen a 4-mile section of I-10 from near Earley Road (milepost 196) to I-8 (milepost 200). Along with a similar project near Eloy, the work will create a 6-lane freeway from Casa Grande through Tucson.

PHOENIX – A westbound Interstate 10 access road created to complement a Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway interchange will close temporarily between 59th and 67th avenues starting Monday, April 1, to allow for final construction.

During the closure, which extends to May, crews will complete the access road connections to 59th and 67th avenues and make other improvements including new drainage, curb and gutter, sidewalks and traffic signals. A temporary road surface near 59th Avenue will be removed and replaced with permanent pavement.

Motorists should consider alternate routes, including local streets, to reach destinations near 59th and 67th avenues.

In 2018, the Arizona Department of Transportation and Connect 202 Partners, the developer of the South Mountain Freeway, opened new eastbound and westbound I-10 access roads between 51st and 67th avenues to restore access to 59th Avenue. South Mountain Freeway construction required permanently removing I-10 on- and off-ramps at 59th Avenue to make room for the freeway-to-freeway interchange.

The 22-mile South Mountain Freeway is scheduled for full completion in 2020, although traffic is expected to be using the freeway earlier. It 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 information on the project, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Members of the public have until Monday, April 1, to share comments, suggestions and recommendations about potential improvements to Interstate 10 between the Interstate 17 “Split” interchange in Phoenix and Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler, one of the most heavily traveled areas in the Valley. 

About 200 people attended a Feb. 26 Arizona Department of Transportation public information and scoping meeting in Tempe to hear a presentation about the potential improvements and submit comments. All meeting materials presented at the meeting are available on the study homepage at i10broadwaycurve.com under “Public Meetings Documents.”

There are still plenty of ways to provide feedback, including: 

         Online: i10broadwaycurve.com

         Email: [email protected]

         Bilingual Hotline: 602.501.5505

         Mail: ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix AZ 85007

In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional planning agency, ADOT is conducting an Environmental Assessment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to study 11 miles of I-10 between 24th Street and Ray Road, a stretch that includes the Broadway Curve, which handles more than 40 percent of freeway traffic in the region and sees heavy congestion.

Potential improvements identified through previous studies, including the I-10/I-17 “Spine” Corridor Master Plan, include: an additional general purpose lane and/or additional HOV lane; a collector-distributor road system offering local traffic lanes; and reconstructing the I-10/State Route 143/Broadway Road connections and the I-10/US 60 connection.

Funding for the potential project is allocated through the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004.

Construction could begin in 2021, if approved.

Comments must be received by April 1 to be included in the official study record.

PHOENIX – Ina Road has opened over Interstate 10 in Marana, a major step toward completing a modern traffic interchange that is one of the Tucson area’s largest road projects in years.

Early Thursday, traffic began taking Ina Road over I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. While work continues in other areas of the project, one lane of Ina Road will be available in each direction and the speed limit will be 25 mph.

Ramps connecting Ina Road with I-10 are expected to open in the next few weeks. The final pieces of the project – widening Ina Road from I-10 west to the Santa Cruz River and connecting with a new bridge over the river – will be completed later this spring. Ina Road is open throughout that area of the project.

Before this $128 million project, Ina Road offered just two lanes under I-10, and drivers regularly had to wait for trains to pass. The new overpass will offer four lanes while eliminating the need to wait for trains, enhancing mobility and safety.

Improvements also include replacing a single two-lane Ina Road bridge over the Santa Cruz River with two bridges, doubling the road’s capacity west of I-10, and creating a bicycle path that connects with The Loop, a system of trails and bike routes in the Tucson area. Meanwhile, new technology will monitor traffic and allow ADOT engineers to adjust signal timing based on need.

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

Ina Road is the third major I-10 interchange replacement in Pima County. Projects at Prince Road and Twin Peaks have created overpasses that eliminated the need for drivers to wait for trains. A similar project at Ruthrauff Road is expected to begin this summer.