I-17

PHOENIX – An 11-mile stretch of Interstate 17 (Black Canyon Freeway) in Phoenix will be resurfaced with a new layer of smooth rubberized asphalt starting in mid-March.

The work is part of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $9.8 million I-17 improvement project between Peoria Avenue in north Phoenix and 19th Avenue south of the downtown area, which started last fall with sidewalk and wheelchair ramp improvements at cross-street interchanges.

PHOENIX – To reduce traffic backups from crashes, congestion and other incidents along Interstate 17 north of Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Transportation is evaluating options that include the possibility of reversible lanes on the grade between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point.

PHOENIX – With Valley drivers benefiting from several freeway improvement projects completed during 2016, including the widening of Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area, the Arizona Department of Transportation is poised to start or complete several Phoenix-area projects in the coming year.

ADOT’s highlights for the regional freeway system in 2017 include:

PHOENIX ‒ Both lanes of southbound Interstate 17 are open again between State Route 169 and State Route 69 after crews completed critically needed repairs at the Orme Road bridge, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The work required narrowing I-17 to one lane between mileposts 270 and 269 approaching Cordes Junction.

The work was initially expected to last until Saturday, but crews were able to complete it Thursday evening.

PHOENIX ‒ Southbound Interstate 17 will be reduced to one lane until Saturday, Dec. 24, at Orme Road, between State Route 169 and State Route 69, as crews make critically needed repairs at the bridge, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT normally doesn’t perform work requiring lane restrictions over holiday weekends, but engineers have determined that these repairs, involving concrete on the bridge approach, must be performed immediately.

ADOT and city of Phoenix engineers worked together to improve traffic signal timing and save drivers thousands of hours of travel time.

PHOENIX ‒ It may not be surprising to hear that coordinating the timing of city traffic signals and those at two busy Interstate 17 interchanges will save drivers time.

But the Arizona Department of Transportation and its partners, the city of Phoenix and Maricopa Association of Governments, have taken it a step further by adding up the time saved and its dollar value for a project involving Camelback and Indian School roads.

The answer: Motorists are expected to save 350,000 hours of travel time, worth $6.2 million, per year.

PHOENIX – As the Arizona Department of Transportation seeks to identify and fund projects that will increase capacity on Interstate 17 north of Phoenix, drivers need to do their part by avoiding the poor decisions and inattention behind so many of the crashes that result in closures and backups – and worse, injuries and fatalities.

The steep, winding stretch of I-17 between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point is one of ADOT’s priorities for improvements.

PHOENIX ‒ Drivers on northbound Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde should expect to see delays through Monday (May 23) as crews complete work on the Verde River bridge.

Only one lane will be open to traffic at the Verde River Bridge between mileposts 287 and 288, just north of the State Route 260 interchange. Construction on the bridge and paving are expected to be completed by 6 p.m. Monday.

The on-ramp from SR 260 to northbound I-17 will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon on Monday.

PHOENIX ‒ A project to reduce the potential for rockfall in a quarter-mile section of northbound Interstate 17 between Camp Verde and Flagstaff will require closures of up to 30 minutes overnight starting Sunday, April 17, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers using this route between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. should plan ahead and budget extra time on the following dates, when intermittent closures will occur northbound near milepost 292 approaching McGuireville:

PHOENIX – Overnight closures of Interstate 17 in north Phoenix are scheduled this week, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Drivers are urged to allow extra travel time while the following late night closures are in place:

We love featuring vintage transportation-related photographs on this blog, but we also like to focus on how things have improved and changed over the years. That’s why we thought it’d be fun to compare the old to the new in a series we’re calling, “Yesterday and Today.”

It’s been a while since we last checked in up north on the I-17/JW Powell traffic interchange improvement project.

If you happened to be driving I-17 near McDowell Road on March 20, 1973, you might spot yourself in this photo.

In order to provide a safer flow for traffic, ADOT will realign SR 89A and reconstruct the intersection of southbound I-17 and JW Powell Boulevard three miles south of Flagstaff.

One of the most visible projects on Interstate 17 is moving onto the final phase of construction.

There’s a realignment and intersection improvement project in the works near Flagstaff that, when complete, will help eliminate some major backups in the area.

These photos are almost 41 years old and show us that on Sept. 20, 1972, the Arizona Highway Department (now known as ADOT) held a public meeting in Camp Verde to discuss Interstate 17.

New Cordes Junction traffic interchange is designed to enhance safety and improve mobility.

If you’re familiar with the stretch of southbound I-17 just south of Camp Verde, you know there’s a bit of a steep climb involved for a few miles of the drive ...