SURPRISE ‒ With columns rising on both sides of Grand Avenue (US 60) and Bell Road for a $41.9 million overpass and interchange, crews have started adding scaffolding known as falsework connecting columns to help workers get ready to add girders.

That’s one of the most visual changes at the project site in the past week. While continuing to install columns on both sides of Grand Avenue in the coming week, crews will grade the east side of Grand in preparation for paving and forming a curb and gutters.

Bell Road closed April 1 between 134th Drive and West Point Parkway to allow faster completion of a bridge that will carry traffic over Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks and provide ramps to and from Grand. The closure will end by November.

The primary detour route is along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Please obey all traffic signs and posted speed limits, and also note that additional law enforcement is on patrol.

Access to businesses next to the project area will be maintained throughout the project.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

SURPRISE ‒ A distinctive agave pattern is taking shape as columns rise for a $41.9 million overpass and interchange under construction at Bell Road and Grand Avenue (US 60).

Those viewing the Arizona Department of Transportation’s construction site over the next week will see work on columns occurring on both sides of Grand Avenue. After crews drill 66-foot-deep shafts, steel cages rise and are surrounded by molds. Then concrete is poured to finish columns bearing the agave pattern.

Other current work includes finishing installation of drainage pipes and relocating utilities along Bell Road and Grand Avenue. The video below by the city of Surprise offers an aerial view of the project area.

Bell Road closed April 1 between 134th Drive and West Point Parkway to allow faster completion of a bridge that will carry traffic over Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks and provide ramps to and from Grand. The closure will end by November.

The primary detour route is along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Please obey all traffic signs and posted speed limits, and also note that additional law enforcement is on patrol.

Access to businesses next to the project area will be maintained throughout the project.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

 

SURPRISE ‒ Columns that will support a $41.9 million overpass and interchange at Bell Road and Grand Avenue (US 60) will begin rising on the east side of the project now that nine shafts have been drilled, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Work has proceeded steadily since Bell Road closed April 1 between 134th Drive and West Point Parkway, with crews clearing the project area, relocating utilities and more. Among the latest progress, forms have been assembled to create bridge panels with an agave pattern.

The Bell Road closure, which will end by November, will allow faster construction of a bridge over Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks. In the meantime, the primary detour route is along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Please obey all traffic signs and posted speed limits, and also note that additional law enforcement is on patrol.

Access to businesses next to the project area will be maintained throughout the project.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

PHOENIX – New ramps connecting Loop 303 and Grand Avenue (US 60) in Surprise will open to traffic this weekend, a key milestone for the project to improve the interchange that links the two roadways.

The northbound Loop 303 on- and off-ramps and southbound Loop 303 on-ramp at Grand Avenue are scheduled to open by 11:30 p.m. Friday (April 1), according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Prior to opening the ramps to traffic, Loop 303 and current connections with Grand Avenue will be temporarily closed at approximately 10 p.m. Friday. The temporary traffic signals on the Loop 303 bridge over Grand Avenue will be turned off and the ramps will be prepared to open to traffic.

A ramp that currently handles all Grand Avenue connections will be reconfigured over the weekend to connect southbound Loop 303 to Grand Avenue by 5 a.m. Monday (April 4). Drivers on southbound Loop 303 who want to exit at Grand Avenue this weekend can travel south to the Bell Road exit. From there they can turn and use northbound Loop 303 to exit at Grand Avenue.

The entire $46 million Loop 303/Grand Avenue Interchange improvement project is scheduled for completion this summer.

PHOENIX – A section of Bell Road near Grand Avenue (US 60) in Surprise will be closed for six to eight months starting Friday night (April 1) for faster construction of a bridge that will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion in the area, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

When it opens later this year, the new Bell Road overpass will allow drivers to travel over US 60 and the BNSF Railway tracks and connect with US 60 via new ramps.

The closure of Bell Road between West Point Parkway and 134th Drive starts at 10 p.m. Friday. While the closure is in place, Bell Road traffic will be directed to a primary detour route along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads.

The overpass construction is part of an ongoing $41.9 million project to significantly enhance connections between the two roadways. Access to local businesses located closest to the Bell-Grand intersection will be maintained while construction is underway.

The full closure of Bell Road, timed to start with the end of the Cactus League season at Surprise Stadium, will shorten construction by several months. ADOT’s accelerated schedule means Bell Road will be reopened in time for the holiday shopping season in November.

Initial project work, which started in January, has focused on Grand Avenue. Grand Avenue will remain open to traffic at most times while Bell Road is closed. Any necessary closures of Grand Avenue are currently planned at night or on weekends.

When the new interchange is completed, on- and off-ramps located along the center median of Grand Avenue will connect with the Bell Road overpass. The entire 14-month project is due for completion by spring 2017.

ADOT and the prime contractor on the project, Coffman Specialties Inc., have been working with the city of Surprise and other local organizations on public outreach and traffic-access plans in support of local businesses located in the area of the Bell Road closure.

Additional law enforcement officers will patrol the area while the Bell Road closure is in place. Drivers are urged to obey traffic signage as well as posted speed limits.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

SURPRISE ‒ Next weekend, Grand Avenue (US 60) will be closed from 9 p.m. March 18, to 7 p.m. March 20, between R.H. Johnson Boulevard/Sunrise Boulevard and Loop 303 to accommodate freeway bridge work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Motorists should plan ahead and consider alternate routes while the closure is in effect.

The primary detour for Grand Avenue traffic will be along Loop 303 and Bell Road. Southbound Loop 303 drivers in the Peoria area can connect with Grand Avenue via southbound El Mirage Road and westbound Bell Road.

Depending on their destination, motorists heading southeast on US 60 may want to consider eastbound State Route 74 to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway or southbound I-17.

Traffic on Loop 303 won’t be affected by the Grand Avenue closure.

Crews will be painting the bridge and installing sound panels and signage at the Loop 303/Grand Avenue interchange as part of a $46 million ADOT project scheduled for completion this summer.

To stay up to date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information System at az511.gov or call 511.

PHOENIX ‒ Four-hour closures of US 60 between Globe and Superior are planned for Tuesday, March 15, and Thursday, March 17, as crews complete passing-lane and shoulder-widening work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Both closures are scheduled to last from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to allow for blasting and cleanup. Traffic will be stopped at milepost 227 east of Superior and milepost 235 west of Miami.

Those using this stretch of US 60 should consider alternate routes, including State Route 77 and State Route 177 between Globe and the Phoenix area, and State Route 87 and State Route 260 through Payson to and from the White Mountains.

Closures will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays until work is finished in late April.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up to date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information System at az511.gov or call 511.