We’ve been sharing plans for a new and much wider Houghton Road bridge at Interstate 10 in Tucson for some time now, but we know it may have been hard to picture exactly what we’ve been talking about.

No more. Take a look at this aerial shot and you can see the new bridge is wide - even wider than the interstate below.

This photo from early January shows only the girders of the new bridge, as it doesn’t have the concrete deck on top of it yet. Once the deck is completed later this year, it will accommodate six lanes of traffic rather than the two lanes on the existing structure. It’s all part of a $24.4 million interchange replacement project to improve safety and traffic flow in this rapidly growing area southeast of downtown Tucson.

You probably also spotted that the photo shows sections of concrete that will form the new ramps. They’re being built in stages, so drivers should expect periodic changes as traffic is gradually shifted onto larger sections of the new ramps through the rest of 2021. Through the rest of the project, occasional nighttime closures are possible on the ramps as well as on Houghton Road.

However, drivers should expect periodic overnight lane restrictions on I-10, including this week. Each weeknight, crews will reroute one direction of I-10 up and over the entrance and exit ramps. The other direction of I-10 will be reduced to a single lane. Houghton Road will remain open, but expect delays of up to 15 minutes. The work is scheduled from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. as crews work on bridge piers and abutments.

Drivers can expect to take advantage of the new bridge and ramps by the end of 2021. 

And a reminder: The Houghton Road interchange will be the first diverging diamond interchange in southern Arizona. To learn more about that kind of interchange or the project as a whole, please visit azdot.gov/i10Houghton.

As a new year begins, so will a new freeway project in the southeast Valley. Work on the addition of a new Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange at Lindsay Road, east of Gilbert Road, will start this month.

To mark the start of construction, the town of Gilbert hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in the area near where new on- and off-ramps will be added along the Santan Freeway at Lindsay Road. Gilbert’s event team should be applauded for arranging and carrying out a socially distanced ceremony with precautions taken during the current health situation.

Officials from Gilbert, including Mayor Scott Anderson, spoke about the work of various agencies over time to make the project a reality as well as the benefits that a new interchange will provide for local drivers and the town’s economic development opportunities.

ADOT’s State Engineer Dallas Hammit also took part in the groundbreaking and focused his remarks on how this project is an example of partnering and cooperation between local, regional, state and federal agencies.

Over approximately the next year, ADOT will now manage a $21.7 million project to add the Lindsay Road interchange. Completion is anticipated in early 2022. Other improvements include the widening of the westbound Loop 202 off-ramp at Gilbert Road and eastbound off-ramp at Val Vista Drive and construction of a new westbound frontage road between Lindsay and Gilbert roads.

Gilbert will complete local street improvements in the area. Both ADOT and Gilbert will provide project updates, including traffic restriction reports, as the construction moves forward. Minimal restrictions are expected along Loop 202 during the course of the project since much of the work will take place away from the freeway’s lanes. We urge drivers to use caution and to always watch for workers and equipment in freeway or local street work zones.

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.

I don’t get the opportunity to visit Nogales as often as I’d like, but the rolling green hills of Santa Cruz County seem to welcome me back with open arms as I exit Interstate 19 on that unique left exit to this quaint, little town I call home.  It is such a special place. 

I don’t think local residents really recognize how special our hometown is until they depart and live elsewhere. But, at the end of the day, or at the end of I-19, there’s no place like home. And, these days, our home is getting a remodel. 

The “remodel” encompasses improving State Route 189 (Mariposa Road) from the international border with Mexico to Grand Avenue. The purpose of the project is to improve traffic flow and safety. 

Nogales is changing and these roadway improvements are going to pave the way for more good things to come, not only for Nogales, but for the state and the nation. In the age of Key Commerce Corridors, Nogales plays a HUGE role in the vitality and fruitfulness of North America! 

To that end, the future is looking like two new “flyover” ramps extending from east to north on Mariposa Road and south to west from I-19, to help hundreds of commercial trucks get to and from the Mariposa Port of Entry on SR 189. 

As a proud Nogales High School graduate (shout out to the Class of 1998!), who was once a teen driver navigating Frank Reed Road and Grand Avenue, I can attest to the fact that it is a good idea to separate teens and other local drivers, like my parents and my tias, from commercial truck traffic. I am relieved to see these improvements do just that at this critical intersection. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation project is going to change the face of Nogales in a good way. Finally, we will have the infrastructure to support all the potential that Nogales has and newcomers will be able to see it as they arrive in our homey little town. Whether it’s a visiting football team from Tucson or delegations from Washington, D.C., these eye-catching engineering improvements are important for both the people who live and work in Nogales as well as others across the nation. More than ever, we are all connected. Investing at our border in Nogales means success for the nation. Bravo Nogales, the unsung hero!

So, will there be some headaches? Claro, que sí, es normal. It is normal to have some growing pains. Will we do everything we possibly can to inform the community so you can plan ahead and work together to try to resolve issues? Claro que si! After serving Arizona residents across the state for nearly 10 years, I can tell you that ADOT is committed to strengthening our communities through developing collaborative solutions. 

Is everyone always going to be happy while construction is underway? Pues, no. But, I promise we will do our best to minimize impacts and keep everyone up to date. This project is near and dear to my heart because I want to see Nogales be poised to win. Do we need everyone to do their part and be patient, flexible and vigilant during construction? Claro que si! This is a team effort, and you also have an important role to play.

What can you do? Informate. Inform yourself. Visit the project website, call us, text us (but, please don’t text us while driving). Cuidado. This is a great new adventure; let’s work together to continue to more forward, or para seguir adelante mi querido Nogales! Y si se les ofrece algo, aqui estamos para servirles (if you need something we are here to help!).

Gracias.

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.