SR 87

Here's a thousand words and more about I-10 improvements

Here's a thousand words and more about I-10 improvements

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Here's a thousand words and more about I-10 improvements

Here's a thousand words and more about I-10 improvements

February 12, 2019

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

We've been telling you for some time about our projects to widen Interstate 10 and reconfigure the State Route 87 near Eloy and widen I-10 in Casa Grande and reconstruct the bridge over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard. But why describe more work in short blog post when a picture is worth a thousand words?

And today we have more than a thousand words to share with you.

The slideshows below allow you to browse photos of work that will make I-10 three lanes in each direction between Tucson and Casa Grande by late this summer.

I-10 at SR 87 in Eloy

I-10 and SR 87_020119

I-10 between Earley Road and I-8 in Casa Grande

I-10 and Jimmie Kerr Boulevard_020119

A drone's-eye view of our I-10 widening project in Eloy

A drone's-eye view of our I-10 widening project in Eloy

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A drone's-eye view of our I-10 widening project in Eloy

A drone's-eye view of our I-10 widening project in Eloy

September 28, 2018

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Driving along Interstate 10, about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix, you can see that’s something happening off to the east side of the freeway at State Route 87.

Here’s a better perspective. John Dougherty, ADOT’s newly FAA-certified drone pilot, shot this amazing video to capture the whole project from above.

In less than 10 months, crews have built nearly 4 miles of what will become the new westbound lanes of I-10, bridges over both nearby railroad tracks and the future alignment of I-10, freeway ramps and more.

When the work is done about one year from now, drivers will have six new lanes of I-10, a wider new interchange with SR 87 and a dust-detection zone, the first of its kind on US freeways.

Starting Thursday, Oct. 4, SR 87 will close between I-10 and Milligan Road so we can continue work on the new section of SR 87 and complete the new interchange. The closure is expected to continue until mid-December. Drivers can exit I-10 at Sunshine Boulevard and take Casa Grande-Picacho Highway to SR 87. There are no restrictions on I-10.

I-10, SR 87 interchange closing temporarily for widening project

I-10, SR 87 interchange closing temporarily for widening project

I-17 101 traffic interchange

I-10, SR 87 interchange closing temporarily for widening project

I-10, SR 87 interchange closing temporarily for widening project

September 27, 2018

PHOENIX – State Route 87 will close at Interstate 10 in Eloy the first week of October so crews can complete a new interchange and connect SR 87 with the new westbound lanes being constructed for a wider I-10.

By the time the interchange opens in mid-December, drivers in both directions of I-10 will be using the new pavement that eventually will become the new westbound lanes of I-10.

The work is part of a three-part project to widen and realign I-10, build the new interchange and develop a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone. The new alignment will be between mileposts 209 and 213, with the dust detection zone running from milepost 209 to 219.

The closure, which runs from Milligan Road to I-10, is scheduled to begin Thursday, Oct. 4, and continue through Dec. 14. Drivers can use Sunshine Boulevard (exit 208) and Casa Grande-Picacho Highway to connect between I-10 and SR 87.

Before the closure, crews are scheduled to pour concrete to form the decks of bridges that are part of the new interchange.

The closure will allow construction crews to complete work on the interchange, including a new alignment of SR 87. Once that work is complete, first westbound traffic and then eastbound drivers will be moved off the current I-10 alignment and onto the new pavement.

In early 2019, workers will build the new eastbound lanes and connect them to I-10. The existing travel lanes on I-10 in the area will be demolished.

The project is about 10 miles from a second effort to widen I-10. In Casa Grande, ADOT is widening I-10 from I-8 to Earley Road (mileposts 196-200) by adding a lane in each direction in the median. When both projects are completed by early fall 2019, I-10 will be a six-lane freeway from the north side of Casa Grande to Tucson.

Expect delays on SR 87 near I-10 June 18-22

Expect delays on SR 87 near I-10 June 18-22

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Expect delays on SR 87 near I-10 June 18-22

Expect delays on SR 87 near I-10 June 18-22

June 14, 2018

PHOENIX – Trucks delivering girders for a bridge that is part of the new interchange at Interstate 10 and State Route 87 will mean long delays for drivers in the area next week.

Beginning Monday, June 18, delays up to 30 minutes are possible between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day through Friday, June 22. Delays are expected 10-12 times each day, or about once each hour.

No restrictions and no delays are expected on I-10.

Arizona Department of Transportation crews are building a new bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as part of a project that includes creating new lanes for I-10 and a new connection to SR 87. Trucks delivering girders will be stopped on SR 87 while girders are attached to cranes and hoisted into position.

To avoid delays, drivers may want to exit Interstate 10 at Sunshine Boulevard (exit 208) and take Casa Grande-Picacho Highway east to SR 87. There will be no restrictions on SR 87 during the evening and overnight hours.

For more information on the project, visit azdot.gov/SR87Picacho.

Placing bridge girders: Now that's a heavy lift

Placing bridge girders: Now that's a heavy lift

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Placing bridge girders: Now that's a heavy lift

Placing bridge girders: Now that's a heavy lift

June 7, 2018
I-10/SR 87 Improvements: Girder Installation (June 2018)

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

The last time you went to the gym, how much weight did you lift? More than 100 pounds? 200?

More than 75 tons, anyone?

Those building a new bridge connecting Interstate 10 and State Route 87 in Eloy didn’t really lift 20 tons, of course. But 30 feet above the ground today, as two cranes lifted huge girders into place, these professionals, securely perched atop bridge piers, made sure these 145-foot girders landed in just the right spot.

And they repeated the process over and over, as shown in the slideshow above.

Precision may be difficult with a heavy girder, but it’s essential. There needs to be the right number of girders across each pier to support the bridge deck and traffic over decades. And each girder must allow room for the one that will connect to the next pier.

Today marks six months since crews began clearing ground for new lanes of I-10 and the new interchange with SR 87. Placing girders on the bridge is another visible sign that work is continuing on schedule.

The project is creating six new lanes of I-10 that will connect with the existing freeway just west and a few miles east of SR 87. Traffic will be moved to the new pavement as soon as this fall, with the entire project scheduled for completion by fall 2019. After this project and another in Casa Grande are complete, I-10 will be three lanes in each direction all the way between Casa Grande and the east side of Tucson.

A bridge to the future

A bridge to the future

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A bridge to the future

A bridge to the future

February 16, 2018

Temp Bridge 87

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

There’s a new bridge on State Route 87, but you may never notice it as you drive by just north of Interstate 10. You’ll never drive on it. And in the fall of 2019, when the work to widen I-10 and build a new interchange nearby is complete, the new bridge will come down for use somewhere else.

Because of this temporary bridge, the southernmost section of SR 87 will be safer for drivers, and the work will be done even faster.

The pit for this project – an area near the work site where crews take dirt for use in the construction – is located just east of SR 87, a short distance north of the work. Without the temporary bridge, construction vehicles would need to drive on SR 87 between the pit and the work site, causing delays for drivers and making that area potentially dangerous for drivers.

Enter Coffman Specialties, the contractor building new lanes of I-10, a new interchange at SR 87 and a new dust detection and warning zone on 10 miles of the interstate. Coffman is putting in an Acrow temporary bridge that not only will carry construction equipment but can handle much larger loads than the existing SR 87 bridge.

How much larger? Without the bridge, engineers were estimating trucks would carry 80,000 loads of dirt and other materials between the pit and the job site. With the new bridge, that number should be fewer than 20,000 loads.

The temporary bridge will remain in place until about the end of 2018. The impact on drivers – aside from having a safer environment – is that SR 87 will be reduced to one lane in each direction until the project is complete. Any delays will be brief.

The project is the first of two I-10 widening efforts that will make I-10 a six-lane freeway from the northern edge of Casa Grande to the east side of Tucson. A meeting to prepare for the second project, which includes widening I-10 between Earley Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, will happen in less than a month.

Restrictions continue on northbound SR 87 south of Payson

Restrictions continue on northbound SR 87 south of Payson

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Restrictions continue on northbound SR 87 south of Payson

Restrictions continue on northbound SR 87 south of Payson

October 3, 2017

PHOENIX – While lane restrictions on southbound State Route 87 have been lifted, drivers headed to Payson and the Mogollon Rim area should continue to budget extra travel time as the northbound lane restriction continues near Slate Creek while crews continue to rebuild the right lane.

This critical Arizona Department of Transportation safety project is expected to be completed this fall.

In June, one lane was closed in each direction on SR 87 between mileposts 223 and 226 so ADOT could make repairs to the roadway and drainage systems and stabilize the terrain after sensors detected slight ground movement near Slate Creek, about 25 miles south of Payson.

The project also includes moving nearly 27,000 cubic yards of dirt from the northbound side of the highway farther down the slope to help stabilize the terrain.

Restrictions lifted on southbound SR 87 south of Payson

Restrictions lifted on southbound SR 87 south of Payson

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Restrictions lifted on southbound SR 87 south of Payson

Restrictions lifted on southbound SR 87 south of Payson

September 27, 2017

PHOENIX – Crews will be removing concrete barriers on southbound State Route 87 tomorrow near Slate Creek after completing repairs, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The removal of the barriers will require the closure of the southbound lanes for 20-minute intervals between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Drivers headed to the Valley from the Mogollon Rim area should budget extra travel time and be prepared for delays.

Northbound restrictions will remain in place while crews finish rebuilding the right lane.

One lane has been closed in each direction on SR 87 between mileposts 223 and 226 so ADOT could make repairs to the roadway and drainage systems and stabilize the terrain after sensors detected slight ground movement near Slate Creek, about 25 miles south of Payson.

The project also includes moving nearly 27,000 cubic yards of dirt from the northbound side of the highway farther down the slope to help stabilize the terrain.

This safety project is expected to be completed this fall. 

Catching you up on our SR 87 safety improvements

Catching you up on our SR 87 safety improvements

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Catching you up on our SR 87 safety improvements

Catching you up on our SR 87 safety improvements

September 22, 2017

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

Work continues on a critical safety project on State Route 87 south of Payson. With crews repairing the roadway and stabilizing the terrain after earth movement near Slate Creek, motorists are using new left lanes in each direction while we rebuild the right lanes.

A three-mile stretch of the roadway is reduced to one lane in each direction 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the work is completed later this year. So continue to plan some extra time if you're traveling between the Valley and Rim Country.

These photos show right lanes between mileposts 223 and 226 stripped down to the dirt road bed. Crews will be spending the next several weeks rebuilding those lanes through as well as finishing the drainage work and stabilizing the surrounding terrain.

We're making these repairs after detecting slight shifting in the slopes along SR 87 through this area. ADOT put a project together that started earlier this year with repairing drainage pipes in the slopes. Workers also cleaned out those pipes, which help move water away from the slopes.

The current phase of the project has crews repairing the roadway damage that resulted from the shift, as well as moving nearly 27,000 cubic yards of dirt further down slope to help stabilize the area.

Rock removal project on State Route 87 north of Payson starts Sept. 25

Rock removal project on State Route 87 north of Payson starts Sept. 25

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Rock removal project on State Route 87 north of Payson starts Sept. 25

Rock removal project on State Route 87 north of Payson starts Sept. 25

September 22, 2017

PHOENIX – To improve safety and reduce the chance for rockfalls, the Arizona Department of Transportation will be starting a rock removal project on State Route 87 7 miles north of the State Route 260 junction on Monday, Sept. 25.

Drivers should budget extra travel time for moving through the 2-mile project area between mileposts 285 and 287. A pilot car will be in place to guide traffic through the work zone. Drivers should prepare for 20-minute delays.

This work, which will occur Mondays through Fridays between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., will take several weeks to complete. There will be no work over the Columbus Day weekend.