Interstate 10

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

ADOT competing for $300 million in added federal funding for I-10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande

May 23, 2022

When it comes to the long-awaited Interstate 10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande, more money means more lanes. With that goal, the Arizona Department of Transportation has submitted a proposal to get additional federal dollars to combine with state funds for the project. 

ADOT has officially delivered a grant application through the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for an added $300 million to supplement the $400 million state appropriation signed into law by Governor Doug Ducey earlier this month. That commitment of state dollars made ADOT eligible to apply for the federal competitive grant. There is also $290 million previously budgeted, for a potential project total of $990 million. Construction is funded in part by Prop. 400, a dedicated half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. 

ADOT is collaborating closely with the Gila River Indian Community and Maricopa Association of Governments on the I-10 project, and the ADOT application has also gained the vital support of the Arizona congressional delegation, state legislators, and local and regional elected officials. Additionally, more than 50 letters of support have been received from multiple chambers of commerce, trade associations as well as large and small businesses. 

“This project is essential for Arizona to enhance the safety and traffic capacity of I-10 with the added benefit of positively impacting our economy,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Interstate 10 is a Key Economic Corridor. Commercial traffic on I-10 carries significant numbers of products and commodities, many of which are manufactured or produced right here in Arizona. These critical items reach every corner of the United States and internationally.” 

Halikowski added, “ADOT will do everything possible to leverage financial resources to expand and improve these 26 miles of highway and associated infrastructure. Applying for these federal funds speaks loudly to our commitment to the vision of moving Arizona and becoming the safest, most reliable transportation system in the nation.”

The grant award announcement is expected sometime this fall. In the interim, an engineering and environmental study for the project is currently being completed in cooperation with the Gila River Indian Community and Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Additionally, a public hearing for the project is planned in late summer.

Following completion of required environmental review and clearance, the project is expected to start in 2023, beginning with expanding the bridges that carry traffic over the Gila River. Should the federal money not be awarded to the state, ADOT will have contingencies prepared to maximize the use of available dollars for lane expansion. 

Target completion date for the full project is sometime in 2026.

For more information: http://i10wildhorsepasscorridor.com/ 

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

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A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

A widened I-10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande is coming

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications
May 12, 2022

Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.

We’ve been there. A lot. The denizens of the Ol' ADOT Ranch -- a bucolic place somewhere near Sunflower, or so we’d like to believe -- drive Arizona's roads, too, don’t ya know.

With all that experience driving, we know it’s a great road, but it has one very noticeable stretch that reminds us of the old kiddie song, “One of these things is not like the other.”

You know what we’re talking about. The, shall we say, narrower segment between Casa Grande and Chandler. It kind of stands out compared to the rest of the drive between Tucson and Phoenix. 

Yep, it’s pretty noticeable. But some good news has come down the pike, and help is on the way. 

The good folks at the state legislature and Governor Ducey have done a remarkable job by, in rapid fashion, appropriating $400 million to expand this portion of  I-10 to three lanes in each direction.

Those state dollars make ADOT eligible to apply for even more money through a federal grant. If successful, we could see an additional $300 million. That’s on top of $290 million already set aside for this work. 

There are a few outstanding procedural matters involving public participation and environmental reviews, but the idea here is to begin work in 2023; starting with expanding the I-10 bridge over the Gila River and having everything done in 2026. 

If you want to learn more, please take a look here: http://i10wildhorsepasscorridor.com/

1,000 cubic yards of concrete poured for new Broadway Road bridge

1,000 cubic yards of concrete poured for new Broadway Road bridge

I-17 101 traffic interchange

1,000 cubic yards of concrete poured for new Broadway Road bridge

1,000 cubic yards of concrete poured for new Broadway Road bridge

January 25, 2022

What takes 11 hours to empty, weighs just over 2,000 tons and can cover a football field half a foot deep? It's the 1,000 cubic yards of concrete that was poured over the weekend in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Transportation's Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project.

On Saturday, I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project crews completed a critical step for the foundation that will support the new Broadway Road bridge that is being constructed over I-10. They poured 1,000 cubic yards of concrete to create what is called a “bridge footing.” This footing is a large concrete slab that will play an important role in the support and distribution of weight for the new bridge. 

The new bridge over I-10 is one of several bridges being replaced or widened as part of the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project. Crews will take down the existing Broadway Road bridge after the new one is completed later on in the project. 

For more information on the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, visit https://i10broadwaycurve.com/  

To see video of the concrete pour: https://vimeo.com/669560984

Ruthrauff Road opens over I-10 as project nears completion

Ruthrauff Road opens over I-10 as project nears completion

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Ruthrauff Road opens over I-10 as project nears completion

Ruthrauff Road opens over I-10 as project nears completion

July 16, 2021

TUCSON – Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro has opened over Interstate 10 as the Arizona Department of Transportation makes a major step toward completing a modern traffic interchange serving northwest Tucson.

Late Thursday, motorists began using the new bridges that carry traffic over I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Drivers should expect ongoing temporary lane restrictions as crews continue work on the reestablished connection across I-10.

The ramps connecting I-10 to Ruthrauff Road and El Camino del Cerro remain closed and are expected to open in the next several months. Later this summer, westbound I-10 traffic will shift from its temporary configuration to the newly reconstructed westbound lanes.

The $129 million project also means drivers will no longer have to wait for trains to pass along the east side of I-10. With Ruthrauff/El Camino del Cerro now traveling above I-10, traffic can move through the area more smoothly and safely.

When the project is completed late fall, drivers will benefit from other improvements that include:

Expanding I-10 from three to four lanes in each direction.

Widening Ruthrauff/El Camino del Cerro to two lanes in each direction crossing I-10.

Reconstructing the ramps and frontage roads so all traffic flows above the railroad tracks.

Constructing an underpass to carry Davis Avenue/Highway Drive under Ruthrauff Road, with traffic using local roads and Maryvale Avenue to connect with Ruthrauff Road.

Drivers should expect occasional lane restrictions in the next several months, including when I-10 lanes are shifted to their permanent configuration.

The project is part of the Regional Transportation Authority’s roadway improvement plan, managed by the Pima Association of Governments. It is ADOT’s fourth recent major I-10 traffic interchange project in Pima County that allows drivers to cross I-10 without waiting for trains, following similar projects at Prince Road, Twin Peaks and Ina Road.

For more information, go to azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

Here’s the drill about current pre-construction activity along Interstate 10 in metro-Phoenix 

Here’s the drill about current pre-construction activity along Interstate 10 in metro-Phoenix 

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Here’s the drill about current pre-construction activity along Interstate 10 in metro-Phoenix 

Here’s the drill about current pre-construction activity along Interstate 10 in metro-Phoenix 

By Lisa DeForest / ADOT Communications
June 24, 2021

In the coming weeks, ADOT anticipates construction will begin on the ambitious Broadway Curve Improvement Project, the first major urban freeway reconstruction project in Maricopa County.  

The four-year project will bring improvements, additions and extra lanes to 11 miles on and around I-10, from the Loop 202 (Santan/South Mountain Freeway) to Interstate 17 near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. 

If you’ve driven the route recently you may be wondering what’s with all the large drilling equipment and weekend activity if construction on the project hasn’t started yet?  

The work you’re seeing is pre-construction geotechnical work. Crews are boring and drilling to test the soil conditions deep below the surface, a necessary first step prior to any freeway construction project. 

Crews began this preliminary work in mid-April, assessing the condition of soil, rock and depth of groundwater along the Broadway Curve Improvement Project alignment. This type of testing is essential to test the conditions of the earth underneath planned or existing structures, such as bridges, walls and freeway lanes.  

The 40-foot-tall vehicles you’re seeing are truck-mounted Becker Hammer drill rigs, which bore deep into the soil and bring up a sample. The rigs can drill down as deep as 175 feet below the surface.  

For this project, these drills will generally sample from 80 to 125 feet deep if the boring is for bridge construction, and generally from 20 to 60 feet deep to test underneath future freeway walls. Once samples are collected they go to the lab, where the contents are tested and evaluated. 

In turn, the results of the tests and evaluations help determine how to design and build the highway and its many structures. 

“If the underlying soils are soft or loose, the foundation will need to be larger and deeper,” said Ramon Padilla, P.E., geotechnical project manager for Broadway Curve Constructors. “We are exploring what’s beneath the ground to evaluate the engineering properties of the subsurface (below ground) soil conditions, and design the foundations that will support the planned structures.” 

Padilla said this geotech work will last at least a few more months and could overlap with the start of construction.  

The Broadway Curve Improvement Project is on 11 miles of I-10 between the Loop 202 (Santan/South Mountain Freeway) and I-17 near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Additional work will occur on approximately 1 mile of east- and westbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) between I-10 and Hardy Drive, and on approximately 1 mile of north- and southbound State Route 143 between I-10 and the southern end of the SR 143 bridge over the Salt River.

Throwback Thursday: Time tunnel

Throwback Thursday: Time tunnel

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Throwback Thursday: Time tunnel

Throwback Thursday: Time tunnel

By John LaBarbera / ADOT Communications
April 8, 2021

In October 1989, the Oakland Athletics swept the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series after the third game was delayed more than a week because of the Loma Prieta earthquake; Larry King got married for the sixth time; and Phoenix was only ten months away from officially connecting Interstate 10 from coast to coast.

Today’s Throwback Thursday photograph comes to us from deep inside the still-under-construction Deck Park Tunnel. The crews here are working hard to make sure all aspects of the structure’s integrity are being assembled just in time for its August 1990 debut.

And now, 31 years later, almost a quarter million motorists travel through downtown Phoenix’s favorite underpass on a daily basis.

Of course, as we revel in reminding our dear readers, the Deck Park Tunnel isn’t really a tunnel at all! In fact, it’s a series of 19 connected bridges. Of course, “traffic is flowing fine through the 19 connected bridges” rolls off the tongue just as nicely as “Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?” or “The horse raced past the barn fell.”

But Valley drivers are keen to take it one step further by just calling it “The Tunnel.” And we’re okay with that.

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

ADOT’s dust detection system named as a ‘Gamechanger’

March 24, 2021

The first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation has been named one of the “Infrastructure Gamechangers” by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The detection system, which was completed by ADOT on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson in 2020, is among only four highway-related projects recognized nationally this year by the ASCE. The organization recognizes groundbreaking projects that represent the latest advancements in the way engineers plan, build and adapt to infrastructure needs. 

In announcing the national “Gamechangers,” ASCE President Jean-Louis Briaud said, “With resources stretched thin, finding solutions that can make the most of the tools afforded us can driver safety, variable speed corridor, be a challenge, but is an essential component of improving the built environment. ADOT’s dust-monitoring system will keep drivers safe and I-10 drivers moving efficiently. This project highlights the innovative nature of civil engineers, adapting to unique challenges to ensure our systems better serve the public.”

ADOT State Engineer Dallas Hammit added, “This recognition by our engineering peers is gratifying because it acknowledges the tremendous innovation and creativity that has gone into developing a system that will greatly enhance safety for drivers travelling through what can sometimes be a very challenging environment.”

Driving on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson during summer monsoon months can be hazardous when windblown dust reduces visibility, causing dangerous driving conditions. This technology has created an unprecedented innovation that helps increase driver safety. 

“Safety is our first priority and this first-of-its-kind technology answers a real need to make a very busy portion of highway much safer for motorists. It has already proven its effectiveness in recent dust storm events,” said Brent Cain, the director of ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division “Being chosen as an ASCE Gamechanger is a great honor.”

Drivers passing through the detection and warning zone encounter signs saying “Caution: Variable Speed Limit Corridor.” Soon after, a series of programmable speed limit signs every 1,000 feet can change the legal speed limit from 75 mph to as low as 35 mph. Additional variable speed limit signs are placed every 2 miles.

Overhead electronic message boards in and near the corridor alert drivers to blowing dust and warn them to slow down. Speed feedback signs inform drivers of their actual speeds.

Thirteen visibility sensors mounted on posts along the freeway use light beams to determine the density of dust particles in the air. Once visibility drops to certain levels, the system activates overhead message boards and the variable speed limit signs.

The sensors are complemented by a weather radar on a 20-foot tower at I-10 and State Route 87. It can detect storms more than 40 miles away, providing additional warning of incoming storms to ADOT and forecasters at the National Weather Service.

This technology is monitored by ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix, where staff can see real-time information on conditions such as the speed and flow of traffic. Closed-circuit cameras provide visual confirmation of conditions along the roadway and in the distance.

For additional information on dust storms and safety: www.pullasidestayalive.org

Ask ADOT: Mill and Fill

Ask ADOT: Mill and Fill

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Ask ADOT: Mill and Fill

Ask ADOT: Mill and Fill

By David Woodfill / ADOT Communications
March 24, 2021

With thousands of followers on social media, we receive all kinds of questions. We try to answer everyone's questions or refer them to the person who can help. For the more frequently asked questions, we've started a new blog series called "Ask ADOT." Today's blog is the first in our series. 

A couple of weeks ago, one of our Twitter followers going by the handle @wsox05bears85 reached out to ask if we were planning to make repairs to a damaged portion of Interstate 10 in the West Valley.

As the messenger observed, some sections of asphalt are worn away between 43rd Avenue and Interstate 17. 

The answer is "yes." The Arizona Department of Transportation is aware of the damaged asphalt and plans to do "mill and fill" work on that stretch of freeway this summer. A "mill and fill"  project involves removing the existing layer of asphalt and replacing it with a fresh, new layer. The old asphalt is taken to a facility where it is recycled and used again. 

James Durlin, ADOT's Highway Operations Supervisor, said the work will occur over several weekends on more than just the stretch of highway between 43rd and I-17 (the stretch you see to your right is just west of 35th Avenue). The freeway between  Avondale Boulevard and 75th Avenue will also be resurfaced. 

As for the portion in between, from about 43rd to 75th, that asphalt was recently replaced as part of the work involving the new Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. Watch for futher announcements about this work as it gets closer on az511.gov, our social media and our website. For more information, you can also call the ADOT Bilingual Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or go to azdot.gov/contact and select Projects from the drop-down menu. 


This is part of a series of blogs called "Ask ADOT." If you have a burning question about transportation infrastructure, history, or you see something on our highways that piques your interest, send us a tweet or message us on Facebook and we'll try to find more information on it for you.

Rich history in Arizona wilderness

Rich history in Arizona wilderness

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Rich history in Arizona wilderness

Rich history in Arizona wilderness

By John LaBarbera / ADOT Communications
October 19, 2020

If you look at our AZ511 map as often as we do (and we hope you do!), you’ll notice a huge swath of green-marked land in the southwestern portion of our state. If you zoom in on that area just a little bit, you’ll notice the name: Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

Running parallel to 43 miles of US Route 95 north of Yuma and 25 miles of Interstate 10 east of Quartzite, the refuge is home to a plethora of flora and fauna. Plants include native palm trees, a rare species of barberry that only grows in the region, and a great many cactus like prickly pear, cholla, pincushion, and some rather imposing saguaros. Animals include familiar desert dwellers like mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, jackrabbits, rattlesnakes, lizards, desert tortoises, Gambel’s quail, cactus wrens and several kinds of bats.

But there is one inhabitant that proved to be the impetus for the refuge’s creation.

Encompassing nearly 1,040 square miles and a more impressive-sounding 665,400 acres, Kofa National Wildlife refuge was established in 1939, originally as a sanctuary for the endangered desert bighorn sheep.

In fact, it was conservationist and British Army major (but born in Minnesota!) Frederick R. Burnham who first recognized the need to save the oversized ovis. He figured what better group to amplify his message than the Boy Scouts of America. Burnham contacted the Boy Scout's Theodore Roosevelt Council, located in Phoenix, and the scouts took the issue head on. In 1936, they embarked on a two year campaign holding radio interviews and school assemblies about the importance of protecting the sheep. They even mounted a “Save the Bighorn” poster contest, and Major Burnham furnished the winners’ prizes.

The scouts succeeded in their mission and The Kofa Bighorn Sheep Range, as it was known at the time, opened on April 2, 1939 as a joint venture of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Fish and Wildlife gained complete control of the land in 1976 and rechristened it Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

This effort so defined the early days of Arizona's Boy Scouts that the desert bighorn sheep became the group’s official mascot for some time.

The Kofa refuge, and the Kofa Mountain range located within, is named after the long-defunct King of Arizona Mine. The mine was established in the winter of 1896 and officially closed down in the summer of 1910, though ore was mined periodically up until 1937.

Within King of Arizona, miners found plenty of quartz embedded with gold.  Estimates at the time claimed that nearly $3.5 million worth of gold was excavated from the mine. Additionally, workers found wulfenite, a striking crystalized mineral with a beautiful orange glow, and two different strains of opal.

Property belonging to the mine was often stamped as “K of A,” thus leading to the portmanteau we use today.

We’ll leave you with one last fun fact: In the early 1940s, General George Patton trained soldiers on the refuge’s rugged terrain. Known as the Laguna Maneuver Area, armored divisions and infantry battalions went through countless exercises and had extensive weapons training using projectiles, mines, and bombs before they were deployed to the deserts of North Africa during World War II. To this day, military munitions can be found throughout the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. Hikers are encouraged to follow the Three Rs: Recognize, Retreat, Report.

You must be at least a little curious by now. So take a day off! Get out of the house and explore over half a million acres of Arizona wilderness, here thanks to due diligence of Arizona's Boy Scouts over 80 years ago. The refuge can be accessed off of Interstate 10 and Vicksburg Road. You can visit az511.gov or download the AZ 511 app for directions. 

New for Monsoon 2020: When dust kicks up, speed limit goes down

New for Monsoon 2020: When dust kicks up, speed limit goes down

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New for Monsoon 2020: When dust kicks up, speed limit goes down

New for Monsoon 2020: When dust kicks up, speed limit goes down

By Garin Groff / ADOT Communications
June 18, 2020

We all know what to expect when the monsoon whips up dust storms that race across the desert between Tucson and Phoenix: strong winds, limited visibility and hazardous driving conditions.

But drivers on that stretch of Interstate 10 should expect something very different this summer when storms hit: reduced speed limits, speed feedback signs and new overhead boards that display urgent safety messages.

These features are now working together as part of ADOT’s dust detection and warning system, which became operational just in time for the 2020 monsoon season that officially began June 15. This video shows you how this first-of-its-kind system works on a 10-mile segment of I-10 between Eloy and Picacho Peak, along with what drivers will see when dust storms automatically activate the system.

This system was developed by ADOT to improve safety during dust storms. But it only works if drivers heed the warnings. So make sure to pay extra attention to the safety messages on overhead signs and to obey the reduced speed limits, which are enforceable. Speed limits can drop to as low as 35 miles per hour, depending on real-time conditions in the area.

You can read more about the dust detection and warning system on our website.

Please remember that this technology is no substitute for common sense. Wherever you are traveling, be sure you've reviewed our dust storm safety tips at PullAsideStayAlive.org