There are often times when progress on freeway construction takes place without much notice. That’s likely the case along a stretch of Loop 303 in north Peoria, where ADOT is managing a project to widen the freeway.

I’m guessing that many of you aren’t Loop 303 drivers - at least not on a regular basis. So you may not know that the freeway is being widened to three lanes in each direction between Happy Valley and Lake Pleasant parkways. We anticipate that the $20.3 million project will be completed early next year.

In addition to adding the new lanes, however, there is some major bridge construction taking place north of Happy Valley Parkway. Before you know it these bridges will carry Loop 303 traffic over the Beardsley Canal and over a traffic interchange that will provide a connection for the city of Peoria’s future Jomax Parkway.

Crews using large cranes recently lifted the girders into place for the bridges at the Jomax Parkway interchange. That’s no small feat, since each of the 28 girders is approximately 120 feet long and weighs about 90 tons. As our series of photos here shows, the girders are placed in 14 rows and secured with temporary bracing by the bridge builders. More recently, girders have been lifted into place for the freeway bridges over Beardsley Canal.

Since Loop 303 opened to traffic in this area in 2012, drivers in some locations actually have been using temporary lanes to the outside of the corridor (including areas where on- and off-ramps will be located). Plans have called for the current construction project to add the permanent mainline lanes of the freeway in areas like the Jomax Parkway interchange and Beardsley Canal crossing. So that’s why the bridges are being built now.

If you’ve been driving through that area and wondering, “Why are they building that bridge there?,” maybe this helps answer that question. It’s really about the “buildout” of the Loop 303’s lanes and looking ahead to the city of Peoria’s work to connect a new stretch of Jomax Parkway starting at Vistancia Boulevard and traveling down to the freeway.

As always, no matter the location, ADOT asks that you stay alert when approaching and traveling through all work zones. Please take that responsibility seriously. We’re looking out for you and your passengers. We hope you’re doing the same for those who are hard at work on Arizona’s growing transportation system. 

Being the transportation geeks that we are, we get excited about a lot of things: Box culverts, Bid-Wells, bridge girders, etc. And that's just the Bs!

But if we moved down into the Cs, we find something else that makes us excited that we think you will like too: cameras.

As you are probably aware, ADOT has a network of more than 400 cameras statewide, with the majority being along the major freeways in Phoenix and Tucson. We use these traffic cameras to help manage traffic. When the ADOT Traffic Operations Center is notified of a freeway incident, dispatchers use our camera system to search for the incident. Once it's spotted, appropriate personnel are dispatched. Often Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers will be dispatched for a crash, but you may see a sweeper sent out to clean debris from the freeway or an ADOT Incident Response Unit helping set up traffic control. 

Additionally, those feeds are provided to the public through az511.gov, so you can check traffic and/or weather conditons along your chosen route before you go. You can even set up personalized routes with just the cameras that matter to your daily commute.

So being able to see as much as possible along a freeway is a win-win for everyone.

That's why we are excited that az511 is now displaying nearly 20 new cameras along the Loop 303 between Northern and the I-17 junction. Folks wanting to get the skinny on what's happening near Grand Avenue, Happy Valley Road or Lake Pleasant Parkway can now pull up a camera and take a look. 

Even if you don't live in the northwest Valley, go ahead and check out the new cameras. And, if you are so inclined, let us know how you like them on Twitter at azdot.gov/ArizonaDOT. If you mostly access information using your mobile device, you can also see our cameras by downloading the AZ 511 app. 

Alright, now that we covered cameras, we can move into other "C" things we get excited about, such as curing compounds, climbing lanes, chip seals...

Oh, no longer interested? That's okay; go ahead and enjoy the new cameras!

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

We’ve been working to keep the public updated on the latest developments on a Loop 303 extension. We recently hosted an open house public hearing to gather comments on the draft environmental study on plans to extend Loop 303 south between Van Buren Street and the proposed State Route 30. This included sharing the video above.

Those who attended the event were able to review the study’s findings and learn about the preferred alternative for an alignment of Loop 303 south of Van Buren, formally known as Alternative 2C South. ADOT’s project team was on hand to answer questions.

Construction could begin as early as 2020, if the preferred alternative route is formally approved.

The Loop 303 Draft Environmental Assessment and Initial Design Concept Report are available online at azdot.gov/Loop303SouthOfVanBuren. The comment period ends July 15, 2018. Comments can be mailed by July 15 to ADOT Community Relations, ATTN: Loop 303 Study, 1655 W. Jackson Street, MD 126F, Phoenix AZ 85007, or emailed to [email protected].

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

If you're out of the loop, you may have missed the opening of the new ramps at Interstate 10 and Loop 303 over the holiday weekend. West Valley drivers now have four additional direct connections between Loop 303 and Interstate 10 with the recent opening of the ramps.

Motorists have told us on social media they're excited about the improvements.

In addition to the new ramps, new frontage roads are complete between Sarival Avenue and Citrus Road and from McDowell to Van Buren. The frontage roads will help with the movement of local traffic and provide convenient local connections.

Construction on this portion of the project began in February 2016 and is part of the $64 million project to complete the large interchange connecting I-10 and Loop 303.

This phase of the project extended Loop 303 south of I-10 to Van Buren Street. This lays the groundwork for the next project, scheduled for fall 2019, extending Loop 303 from Van Buren south to Maricopa County Highway 85.

The newly opened ramps were funded as part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. The primary funding sources are a countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation projects as well as the Phoenix region’s share of federal transportation funds.

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications

Frontage-road construction rarely gets attention within a larger freeway project, but that isn't the case with work underway in Goodyear, where a $63.5 million construction job is finishing the entire “south half” of the Loop 303 interchange connections with Interstate 10.

The big project still has a few months until completion. But on Saturday, Aug. 19, ADOT opened new and separate stretches of the north- and southbound Loop 303 frontage roads between McDowell Road and Van Buren Street.

Technically, these new frontage roads located next to Loop 303 (the freeway remains under construction in that area) still serve as the section of Cotton Lane between McDowell and Van Buren.

The frontage roads will continue to play an important role in allowing local drivers to make I-10, Loop 303 or other connections even after the new south half of the freeway-to-freeway opens by November.

In case you were wondering, the north half of the Loop 303/I-10 interchange, with ramps connecting the two freeways in the area north of the interstate, opened to traffic in 2014.

As always, we ask that if you’re going to be using these completed frontage roads or other roadways at the interchange, please continue to treat the area as a large work zone. Keep an eye out for construction workers. They have families who want them to get home safely each day. Be prepared for construction equipment, including large trucks, to be operating in the area.

This is a major project for ADOT, Goodyear, the West Valley and the entire Phoenix-area region. We’ll keep you posted on remaining major restrictions that are needed to complete the job over the next three months.

Enjoy the new frontage roads. The ADOT team is looking forward to opening the remaining elevated ramps and other Loop 303/I-10 connections to drivers very soon.