Let’s face it: Nobody looks forward to construction delays.

But with restrictions and some temporary closures set for the Pinto Creek Bridge replacement project on US 60 between Superior and Globe, we’re giving drivers something they can look forward to: a predicable schedule.

With a little planning now, you can avoid some frustration and save time.

Here’s what to plan for:

• Daily lane restrictions begin Thursday (Oct. 31) and continue for several weeks Mondays through Thursdays between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Fridays from 6 a.m. to noon.
• Full closures are tentatively set to begin Thursday, Nov. 7. The closures will continue for several weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drivers will detour on state routes 77 and 177 through Winkelman, adding at least 45 minutes of travel time between Globe and Superior.

While much of the construction will occur in Pinto Creek Canyon, we need the restrictions as crews continue building an access road into the canyon and removing rock to shift part of the highway about 30 feet. Crews will need to blast away some rock, which requires full highway closures for safety.

As we shared in an earlier news release, there is some encouraging news already: In the first few weeks, crews found the rock is softer than expected and can be removed with heavy equipment rather than by blasting. If that continues, we can reduce the number of full closures.

Additional restrictions and closures will come later in the project. They’ll include overnight closures to install bridge girders and pour the new structure’s concrete deck. Near the end of the project, we’ll need to close the road for about five days to shift the highway so it lines up with the new bridge.

Drivers will continue using the existing bridge until the new 695-foot-long structure is completed in about two years. When we're done, the new structure replacing a 70-year-old bridge will give motorists reliable transportation for decades to come.

Motorists can keep up to date on restrictions by subscribing for email updates at azdot.gov/PintoCreekBridge.

Sept. 26 was a big day, both for us and for everyone who drives on Interstate 17 north of the Valley.

As we said in a news release, Governor Doug Ducey, accompanied by ADOT Director John Halikowski, the heads of the state Department of Public Safety and state Office of Tourism, and business leaders, elected officials and transportation stakeholders, announced more than $300 million in improvements coming to the highway between Anthem and the Sunset Point Rest Area. These include adding a third lane in both directions on the 15 miles between Anthem and Black Canyon City and 8 miles of flex lanes on the grade between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point. 

This announcement stemming from state, local and federal partnership, including $130 million proposed in Governor Ducey’s executive budget, came during an event in Anthem, just a stone's throw from where the freeway can see more 50,000 drivers on especially busy days such as the beginning and end of holiday weekends.

As you can see in the slideshow to the right, lingering storm clouds couldn't dampen our enthusiasm for this project, which is scheduled to start in 2021 and be completed in 2023.

The project to add lanes along Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) in the north Phoenix and Scottsdale areas involves a lot of work to either widen existing bridges or, as is the case west of Hayden Road, build an all-new crossing over a future local street.

We sent a drone operated by ADOT’s video team above a couple of locations along Loop 101 where bridge work is taking place.

As part of the $185 million project that will add lanes along 13 miles of Loop 101 between Interstate 17 and Pima Road/Princess Drive, crews also are widening the freeway bridge over Seventh Street. Our first and second ADOT drone photos show the portions of the Loop 101 bridge being widened to accommodate new freeway lanes.

Two of the ramps at the Loop 101/Seventh Street interchange are currently closed for reconstruction and bridge work. The westbound Loop 101 on-ramp and eastbound off-ramp are closed until March 2020. Drivers should continue to use alternate routes, including the open freeway ramps at Seventh Avenue.

The second site, as seen in the last two drone photos, is where initial work has begun to build the new Loop 101 bridge that will allow a stretch of Miller Road to travel beneath the freeway.

You can see how Loop 101 traffic is using temporary “construction bypass” lanes in each direction to travel around the area where the new freeway bridge is being built. Traffic was switched to the bypass lanes back in August. They’re scheduled to be in use until summer 2020.

The city of Scottsdale plans to extend Miller Road in the future. So this new Loop 101 bridge was included in the Maricopa Association of Governments’ plans for this regional freeway improvement project.

The entire Loop 101 Pima Freeway Improvement Project, which started in February, is scheduled for completion in early 2021. 

The drive between Phoenix and Tucson has gotten a little bit better, and another improvement is just weeks away.

That’s because an ADOT project has provided three lanes in each direction on a 4-mile section of Interstate 10 in Casa Grande, between Earley Road and Interstate 8. Part of that work widened the bridge over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard, which you can see in the Flickr album below.

Soon, the barricades will come up on another 4 miles of the Interstate between Eloy and Picacho. That segment also features a new interchange with State Route 87 and is adding a first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system along 10 miles of I-10.

With the completion of both projects, ADOT will have transformed all of I-10 from Casa Grande to Tucson into a six-lane freeway thanks to investments through the years.

The final work on both widening projects will wrap up later this year.

For those of us looking forward to new lanes being added to Interstate 17 in the Anthem and Black Canyon City region, this week was another important one as ADOT prepares to start construction in less than two years.

The Federal Highway Administration provided great news that Arizona will receive a $90 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant to help fund the big project that will improve I-17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point Rest Area.

The photo above shows ADOT Director John Halikowski at right, in Washington for a ceremony led by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, who is in the center. 

The $90 million INFRA grant for Arizona was the second-largest among more than $855 million in such grants provided by the Federal Highway Administration. It followed a $125 million grant awarded to Alabama for construction of a new bridge over the Mobile River channel.

The federal grant will help fund the construction of a flex lanes system between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point (more on the flex lanes below) and add third lanes in both directions along 15 miles of I-17 between Anthem Way and Black Canyon City.

This is the latest positive news about available funding for the I-17 improvements north of Phoenix. The budget approved by the state Legislature and signed by Governor Doug Ducey included an investment of $130 million in state funds to allow full construction of the third lanes between Anthem Way and Black Canyon City as part of the larger project.

And here’s a little more information about the I-17 flex lanes, in case you’re not familiar with them. They will be built as a separate two-lane facility next to the existing southbound lanes along the 8 miles between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point. These new lanes will be used to carry one direction of traffic at any one time depending on traffic needs.

For example, northbound traffic will have access to the flex lanes on a Friday or southbound traffic will be able to use the new lanes on a Sunday when a lot of drivers are returning to the Valley. This system also could provide lanes in either direction if an incident were to close the regular I-17 lanes in the area between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point.

Safety is ADOT’s top priority when it comes to the flex lanes. Yes, there will be movable gates at each end to control access. Barrier wall also will separate the flex lanes from the adjacent regular southbound I-17 lanes.

Available funding for the I-17 improvement project will allow construction to start by 2021 and be completed by 2023.

Let’s face it. We all use “to do” lists to identify the items we want to accomplish every day. Whether it is a “to do” list at work or an infamous “honey-do list” at home, these lists help us stay focused and identify the tasks that are needed to get the job done. When we can put a check mark next to an item on the list to note it is done, what a great sense of accomplishment we feel.

I get the same feeling in describing the accomplishments completed by the employees at the Arizona Department of Transportation this past fiscal year. We have had a very productive year in serving our customers, the people of Arizona, in providing a safe and efficient transportation system. We have strived to make sure you get home to your loved ones safely. It’s our True North – Safely Home. Our employees are dedicated on all fronts to get everyone Safely Home. We have tried to spark conversations with friends and family on the importance of being a safe driver. We have made vast improvements to streamline our processes so you spend less time at our Motor Vehicle Division offices. We complete highway construction and pavement preservation projects on time. And we get law enforcement officers faster information to help stop wrong-way drivers.

 Let me share just a few items on our ADOT “to do” list and highlight the accomplishments so far:

• Constructed a new traffic interchange at Interstate 10/Ina Road in the Marana/Tucson area that is separating vehicular traffic from railroad activity and widening lanes for better mobility and safety.
• Continued to make significant progress in the construction of the largest public-private partnership program, Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, with the anticipated limited opening the freeway at the end of the year.
• Launched a new safety website, FocusOnDriving.com, which provides helpful tips and resources to make us all safer drivers.
• Implementing a dust detection system near Picacho Peak on Interstate 10.
• Modernizing our Motor Vehicle Division’s operating system to AZ MVD Now so we can serve our customers better and offer more services.
• Weathered a historic winter storm in February that brought snow to parts of the Valley.
• Continued to receive state and national recognition for our wrong-way driving detection system and sharing our findings with other DOTs to combat the problem.
• Found ways to eliminate waste in our processes – making change for the better. I am very proud of the effort our employees are demonstrating in embracing the principles behind the Arizona Management System.
• Recognized employees with Medals of Valor, Director Citation Awards and Director Pins for exemplary service to others and living our A.I.R. values (Accountability, Integrity and Respect).

Yes, our “to do” list at ADOT is vast and it seems never ending. However, we indeed have been able to put a check mark to items on our “to do” list. Even with a decrease in the number of employees at ADOT over the past several years, it is the dedication of the men and women who serve at ADOT for providing the sense of accomplishment I feel every day. Now, where did I put that “honey-do list?”

It's not exactly "Meerkat Manor," but you can see how a photographer could easily think of those African mammals and their habit of standing sentry while looking at the top of the new bridge girders on Interstate 17 at Pinnacle Peak. 

These rebar facsimiles will also quickly disappear as the project to expand Pinnacle Peak over I-17 and rebuilt the interchange continues. You can see a more expansive view of what the girder installation looked like in the photo gallery below.