KINGMAN – The new year will be an exciting one for drivers who use US 93 between the Phoenix area and Kingman as the Arizona Department of Transportation advances one major project to increase capacity and starts another.

A current US 93 widening project near Wickenburg is at 50% completion. And by summer, one of the largest US 93 improvement projects in recent years will kick off in west Kingman as work starts to construct an interchange that will provide a free-flowing connection between US 93 and Interstate 40.

These US 93 projects are among many projects ADOT plans to start, continue or complete across northern Arizona in 2024.

The Kingman interchange is planned to eliminate delays that can occur for passenger and truck traffic on the main route between Las Vegas and Arizona. While traffic now must stop at a traffic signal where Beale Street intersects with I-40, a system-to-system interchange features ramps that allow traffic to flow freely.

This interchange, expected to open in 2026, is designed to handle projected traffic growth for the next 25 years. For more information on the Kingman interchange project, please visit azdot.gov/WestKingmanTI. 

The current US 93 project near Wickenburg is now halfway done as work continues to transform a 5-mile section of two-lane roadway into a four-lane divided highway. Work on the Wickenburg-area project is expected to continue through 2024, with lane restrictions limited to overnight hours to minimize traffic impacts. More information is available at azdot.gov/US93Wickenburg. 

Since 1999, ADOT has completed 19 projects to modernize US 93 between Wickenburg and I-40. ADOT's long-term vision calls for four-lane divided highway through the entire 200 miles between Wickenburg and Nevada. 

More projects are scheduled to be under construction on US 93 over the next several years as ADOT continues working on turning its vision into reality.

ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program for 2024-2028 has these additional projects scheduled to convert US 93 to four-lane divided highway:

• Fiscal 2024: Mileposts 106-109.5.in the Cane Springs area
• Fiscal 2026: Mileposts 190.5-193.5 in the Vista Royale area northwest of Wickenburg
• Fiscal 2027: Mileposts 161.7-166.2 in the area of Big Jim Wash

Another project scheduled to start in 2026 calls for adding passing lanes to US 93 between mileposts 171.5-173 and 175.5-177.

In addition to US 93, ADOT is planning to begin, continue or complete several major projects improving travel to, from and within northern Arizona in 2024, including:

• Continuing work to rehabilitate pavement and bridges on a 29-mile stretch of southbound I-17 between Flagstaff and the Coconino County line. Work on this heavily traveled highway began in spring 2022 and will continue through fall 2024. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/I-17Southbound.
• Beginning work next summer to widen 1 mile of SR 69 in Prescott. ADOT, working with the Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization, will add a third lane of travel in each direction of the highway between Prescott Lakes Parkway and Yavpe Connector with a raised center median. The project, which will improve safety and increase roadway capacity, will be complete by mid-2024. For more information please visit azdot.gov/sr69frontiervillage.
• Continuing the $56 million Interstate 15 Bridge No. 1 replacement project near Littlefield in northwestern Arizona, with completion scheduled by spring 2024. The challenging project in the Virgin River Gorge provides a safer I-15 bridge operating with two lanes in each direction. Work began in February 2021. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/I-15VirginRiverBridge.
• Beginning work to replace the Queen Creek and Waterfall Canyon bridges on US 60 just east of Superior. The project, similar to a nearby project that replaced the Pinto Creek Bridge, will require a series of daytime highway closures for rock blasting operations. The project will begin in early 2024 and is scheduled to take three years. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/US60QueenCreekBridgeProject.
• Completing two paving projects on SR 95 totalling 49 miles, covering a 23-mile section between I-40 and SR 28 and a 26-mile segment between I-40 and Lake Havasu City. Work began in 2023 on both projects and is expected to be completed in early 2024. 
• Beginning work to rehabilitate the SR 87 Coyote Wash bridge about 25 miles north of Winslow, at milepost 375.
• Continuing a major I-17 improvement project north of the Phoenix area to improve safety and efficiency on 23 miles of one of Arizona’s busiest corridors. The work includes 8 miles of flex lanes that can carry traffic northbound or southbound, depending on which direction is carrying the most traffic at any given time, between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point. Also, ADOT is constructing a third traffic lane on 15 miles of I-17 between Anthem and Black Canyon City. The project is expected to be complete in 2025. For more information, please visit improvingI17.com.

For more information on other improvement projects statewide, please visit azdot.gov/projects.

TUCSON – Major improvements are in the works for those who use Interstate 10 in the Tucson area, where new lanes and a rebuilt interchange are on track to open by the end of the coming year.

Motorists can expect a year of many changes as part of the ongoing project to widen I-10 between Ina and Ruthrauff roads. It’s one of several significant projects the Arizona Department of Transportation has planned for southern Arizona in 2024. 

Some highly visible progress on I-10 will begin early in the year as crews place 121 girders for nine new bridges, along with concrete paving for the rebuilt section of freeway.

And while heavy construction will dominate the 4-mile segment of I-10 during the year, it will come with a big payoff. By late 2024, ADOT will shift traffic onto a reconstructed freeway featuring four lanes of traffic in each direction. And the Orange Grove Road interchange will reopen with wider entrance and exit ramps to promote safety and better traffic flow.

The $171 million I-10 project will continue into 2025, when a reconstructed Sunset Road interchange opens. The interchange will feature a connection eastward to River Road thanks to a new bridge, funded by Pima County, that will carry traffic over the Union Pacific railroad tracks and the Rillito River.

Throughout the project, ADOT is maintaining three lanes of traffic through the work zone during daytime hours and maintaining access to businesses. The public can get project updates and traffic alerts at azdot.gov/i10ina2ruthrauff

Beyond Tucson, ADOT is planning projects to:

• Repair the US 191 bridge over I-10 at milepost 131, about 9 miles west of Willcox. The work will include replacing the girders and deck following a crash that severely damaged the bridge in early 2023. Construction will begin in early 2024 and extend through the summer. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/US191BridgeRepair
• Construct dual roundabouts in Florence. The project includes a dual roundabout at State Route 287 and SR 79B in cooperation with the town of Florence and Maricopa Association of Governments. Nearby, ADOT will construct a single lane roundabout at SR 79B and Florence Heights Drive. The project is scheduled to be complete in summer 2024. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/FlorenceRoundabouts

ADOT also has several pavement improvement projects planned in the coming year, including along 10 miles of I-10 near Casa Grande and 20 miles of SR 90 in and near Sierra Vista. For more information, please visit azdot.gov/projects. 

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will start or continue making progress on several Phoenix-area freeway construction or maintenance projects during 2024.

The new year will see the launch of two Loop 101 widening projects as well as advancements on improvement projects that are underway along Interstate 10 near the Broadway Curve and along Interstate 17 north of Phoenix.

The following are among the major freeway projects ADOT will work on in 2024:

• Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) Improvement Project between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive/Pima Road in Scottsdale. The project is scheduled to start on Jan. 5 and include the addition of a lane in each direction within a 4.5 mile work zone. Crews also will convert the Loop 101 interchange at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard into a diamond configuration to improve traffic flow. The project is scheduled to be completed in approximately two years. More information: azdot.gov/Loop101PrincessToShea         
• Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) Improvement Project between I-17 and 75th Avenue in the northwest Valley. The two-year project is scheduled to start in fall 2024 and include the addition of a lane in each direction. Other work will include interchange and cross-street improvements at 75th Avenue. More information: azdot.gov/Loop101West75thToi17                        
• I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project between the I-17 “Split” and Loop 202 in Chandler. The largest freeway reconstruction project in ADOT’s history started in fall 2021 and is slated for completion near the end of 2024. Crews will finish elevated ramps providing direct connections between I-10 and State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway) and complete lanes carrying local traffic in areas between Baseline Road and 40th Street. The project improves travel on 11 miles of one of the Valley’s busiest stretches of freeway. More information: i10broadwaycurve.com            
• I-17 Improvement Project between Anthem Way and Sunset Point north of Phoenix. Work on the 23-mile project started in fall 2022. Crews are adding third lanes in each direction between Anthem Way and Black Canyon City as well as a unique 8-mile flex lanes system north of Black Canyon City. Improvements are scheduled for completion by late 2025. More information: improvingi17.com
• I-10 Gila River Bridges Project southeast of Riggs Road. The project, which will reconstruct the outdated existing I-10 bridges crossing the Gila River, is scheduled to start in spring 2024 and take approximately two years to complete. 
• I-17 Resurfacing Project between Happy Valley Road and State Route 74 in north Phoenix. A project to improve pavement conditions along I-17 is scheduled to start in spring 2024 and take approximately seven months to complete.

ADOT plans and constructs new freeways, additional lanes and other improvements in the Phoenix area as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region. Many projects are funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov and via the AZ511 app (download free for Apple and Android devices). ADOT also provides highway condition updates via its Twitter/X feed, @ArizonaDOT.

PHOENIX – The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Arizona Department of Transportation have renewed an agreement through which ADOT assumes FHWA’s authority for environmental reviews and determinations for certain types of projects.

Final approval of this Memorandum of Understanding, which follows a public comment period that began in October, continues an agreement known as Responsibility for Categorical Exclusions. Congress established the program to help streamline environmental reviews for federal-aid highway projects. 

The agreement, established in 2018 and renewed in 2021, involves federal-aid projects found to have no significant environmental impacts. It allows ADOT to determine, as defined under the National Environmental Policy Act, whether a project is categorically excluded from preparation of a more extensive environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement based on anticipated environmental impacts. Arizona is among eight states, including California and Utah, that currently have this authority.  

States must still comply with all requirements of the National Environmental Protection Act of 1969 (NEPA) and other federal environmental laws, regulations, executive orders and policies on all federal-aid highway projects their transportation departments administer.

Please visit azdot.gov/CE-Assignment to learn more about this agreement and review the final Memorandum of Understanding.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is adding yet another option for digital identification. Arizonans can now keep a digital driver license or state ID in Samsung Wallet on their Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

“Arizona is proud to be the first state to offer Samsung Wallet for carrying and presenting a driver license or state ID,” Arizona MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “ADOT MVD continues to find easy new ways for Arizonans to conveniently and securely conduct business. Whether that is utilizing your smartphone to digitally present your identity safely, or the ability to take care of MVD services securely online at azmvdnow.gov, or even a quick easy chat with an MVD expert online to get you out of the line and safely on the road.”

Arizona is the first state to offer four options to keep your digital license or ID in your smartphone. Arizona first offered the mobile driver license (mID) in 2021, then in 2022 was the first state to add Apple Wallet, and just last month Google Wallet for Android devices became available for Arizona driver licenses or ID cards. 

Digital identity is a new technology that Arizonans can utilize and securely present it as a valid ID at select TSA airport security checkpoints. Arizona residents should continue to carry their physical driver license or state ID card to use in other situations, including with law enforcement.

To learn more about mobile options for Arizona driver licenses and state IDs, please visit azdot.gov/DigitalIDs.

PHOENIX – A project to add new lanes and make interchange improvements along Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive/Pima Road in Scottsdale is scheduled to start in early January, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The $108 million Loop 101 Improvement Project is scheduled to be completed in approximately two years. Crews will widen Loop 101 by one regular traffic lane in each direction within a 4.5-mile work zone. 

Construction is scheduled to begin with a closure of northbound Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8. The first weekend closure will allow crews to remove the existing top layer of asphalt pavement and install temporary barrier walls used to set up a work zone along the freeway. 

ADOT is working with the city of Scottsdale to limit restrictions during local special events, including the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament.

The new lanes will mean this stretch of Loop 101 will have four regular lanes and the existing HOV lanes in each direction. The project is the latest in a series of projects to widen approximately 35 miles of Loop 101 between Interstate 17 in north Phoenix and Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) in Chandler.

Other key elements of the project include:

• Converting the Loop 101 interchange at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard into a diamond configuration
• Turn-lane improvements at the Shea Boulevard, Raintree Drive and Princess Drive/Pima Road interchanges
• Work on retaining walls and maintenance of existing sound walls
• Installation of new signs, traffic signals and freeway lighting

The Loop 101 widening project is funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. The project is scheduled under the Regional Transportation Plan managed by the Maricopa Association of Governments, which serves as the metropolitan planning organization for the Greater Phoenix region.

FNF Construction Inc. is the prime contractor on the project. 

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov and via the AZ511 app (download free for Apple and Android devices). ADOT also provides highway condition updates via its Twitter/X feed, @ArizonaDOT. 

PHOENIX – Drivers traveling along Interstate 17 during the overnight hours need to be aware of rolling closures in both directions in the Black Canyon City area starting tonight at midnight. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation is working with Arizona Public Service to schedule these emergency repairs due to a downed power line in the I-17 Improvement Project construction zone on Dec. 14. 

The 30-minute intermittent rolling closures will begin at midnight tonight, Dec. 16, and are expected to last until 4 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17. The closures will affect both northbound and southbound traffic at milepost 243 near Coldwater Road in Black Canyon City. 

Drivers should expect delays during midnight to 4 a.m. in this area. For the latest information on highway closures and conditions, visit az511.com. 

FLAGSTAFF – A section of State Route 89A north of uptown Sedona is open to traffic again following rockfall mitigation work on a canyon wall above the highway.

The Arizona Department of Transportation and its contractor worked to safely reopen SR 89A on Friday morning (Dec. 15) after crews cleared loose rocks and sediment from the slope next to the highway. The rockfall mitigation project started on Dec. 3.

A traffic restriction is in place in the area until resurfacing can take place. Pavement repairs are scheduled on Saturday, Dec. 16. 

• SR 89A is reduced to one lane only with alternating north- and southbound travel between the Owenby Way roundabout and the Midgley Bridge picnic area (mileposts 375-376).
• On-site flaggers and a pilot car will direct drivers through the work zone.
• Drivers should expect a reduced speed limit in the work zone.

SR 89A was closed this week to ensure driver safety. The work caused debris, including rocks and sediment, to fall onto the roadway while crews were clearing the slope above SR 89A.

State highway conditions are available via ADOT’s 511 Travel Information site, the AZ511 app or by calling 511. Highway information and answers are also available via ADOT’s X (formerly Twitter) feed (@ArizonaDOT) and the agency’s Facebook page (facebook.com/AZDOT).

PHOENIX – Since the record-setting winter of 2022-2023, the Arizona Department of Transportation has completed 24 projects to repair damaged pavement on more than 300 miles of state highway.

These projects, made possible by a commitment of $90.5 million, have ended for this year but will continue when warm weather returns in 2024. Much of the work completed to date has been in northern Arizona, where snow, rain and repeated freeze-thaw cycles combined with the effects of pavement aging to create ideal conditions for potholes and other surface damage.

Early next year, pavement repair projects are planned for:

• Interstate 10 southeast of Casa Grande, between mileposts 200-209
• Business 10 in Willcox between mileposts 337-344

In the spring, projects are planned:

• US 93 northwest of Kingman between mileposts 59-70
• US 93 south of I-40 from mileposts 95-97
• US 93 northwest of Wickenburg from mileposts 174-176

This year, ADOT completed critical pavement repair projects on sections of I-40, I-17, I-10, US 60, US 93, State Route 260, SR 87, and SR 77. A list of completed and planned projects is available at azdot.gov/PavingRepairs.

These pavement repairs vary in size and complexity based on conditions, in some cases replacing small areas of damaged pavement on segments spread across several miles of a roadway. Long stretches of the top 2 inches of surface pavement were replaced in other areas, including 20 miles of SR 260 between Rim Road near Forest Lakes and Heber. 

To learn more about this effort, please visit azdot.gov/PavingRepairs.

FLAGSTAFF – A section of State Route 89A north of uptown Sedona is now scheduled to remain closed through next week as construction crews perform critical clean-up work after recent blasting for rockfall mitigation, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The safety of the traveling public is a key reason for the extended closure of SR 89A in both directions between the Owenby Way roundabout and the Midgley Bridge picnic area (mileposts 375-376).

While construction crews are expediting efforts to remove loose rock on the canyon wall and clear the roadway, the highway closure is scheduled until 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 16. These critical operations need to be completed to create safer conditions along SR 89A.

Drivers should continue to plan extra travel time while using State Route 179 and Interstate 17 as a detour route in either direction for travel between Sedona and Flagstaff.

State highway conditions are available via ADOT’s 511 Travel Information site, the AZ511 app or by calling 511. Highway information and answers are also available via ADOT’s X (formerly Twitter) feed (@ArizonaDOT) and the agency’s Facebook page (facebook.com/AZDOT).