Traffic issues along the I-10 Broadway Curve area might be smoothing out as ADOT has now opened a second new roadway designed to reduce bottlenecking.
It is called the eastbound collector-distributor.
“What these roads do is it separates the mainline I-10 traffic that’s just passing through the area from the traffic that’s getting on and off the freeway in the Broadway Curve area,” said Marcy McMacken, an ADOT spokesperson.
ABC15 covered the westbound CD road opening back in August, where drivers got confused, causing backups and headaches.
“My wife, when she first drove down it, she was confused at first, but now she’s actually used to it now. She’s getting to work a lot quicker now,” said Brian Lang, a Maricopa resident.
ABC15 crews drove along the new, eastbound collector-distributor road, and so far, the traffic has been smooth. ADOT says it’s all thanks to the design.
CD roads are basically long exit and entrance ramps, which collect traffic from major thoroughfares like the I-10 and distribute it to other roads.
It does away with the need for drivers to merge into the bottleneck that used to be the I-10 Broadway Curve area.
“By separating the traffic that’s getting off at US 60 and SR 143 from the mainline traffic, you take away that lane changing and weaving, making it a safer experience for motorists,” said McMacken.
On Monday, ADOT opened the eastbound I-10 CD road – a few months after they debuted the westbound one. This time, ADOT says drivers are not as confused, and drivers seem to like it.
“Distributes traffic more evenly. You don’t have a lot of lane changing from left to right,” said Curtis Wessel, a driver.
“It seems to help the flow of traffic and it just seems like a quicker route even though it meets up at the same spot, yeah, I like it,” said Caeley Burch, a driver.
On an average weekday, ADOT says they see more than 300,000 vehicles pass through the Broadway Curve area on I-10, and it is expected to go up. This roadway, they hope, will help meet that demand.