MESA, AZ — The Arizona Department of Transportation moved up its construction timeline for the U.S. 60 freeway by six months, and work will begin on the eastbound lanes, starting at Dobson Road, Friday night.
Drivers, however, still have bad memories from the first phase of the project.
Dangerous debris caused damage to cars, and thick clouds of dust covered property at nearby homes, leaving residents with health concerns.
More than 140 damage claims were filed with the state, totaling at least $85,000.
"I have contacted ADOT many times," said Mesa resident Virginia Woolf.
The issue got so bad that Woolf went beyond the state, writing a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden administration to see if they could help.
In part of the letter, Woolf wrote, "I've been part of the expansion of the road when it was first connected and made into a safe clean and beautiful highway... Now it's a death trap, unsafe at any speed."
Woolf never heard back from Buttigieg, and her concerns remained. So when a flyer arrived in the mail from ADOT about a week ago, saying construction would begin again on the U.S. 60, she couldn't help but be skeptical that the ride would be any smoother this time around.
"And now they say it's going to be done at night, and they're going to clean it up, and they're going to have controls and everything, but who really knows," she said.
Woolf was shocked to learn ADOT would again be using McNeil Brothers, the same contractor as before.
"Don't we deserve better?" Woolf said.
ADOT released the following statement addressing the construction and its use of McNeil Brothers:
ADOT and this contractor responded proactively to the situation in 2021 and results were significantly improved when the work near Gilbert Road was completed in early 2022. We will continue to work closely with the contractor in limiting the size of individual work zones to minimize debris and dust that this type of work can create. The project's goal in the coming months is to improve the driving surface of this busy stretch of US 60, making for a smoother ride for drivers.
The current project will cover a 14-mile stretch of the U.S. 60 between Loop 101 and Loop 202.
ADOT will be replacing the existing asphalt with a diamond-grind surface, of which Woolf is no fan.
"It grabs your tires and moves your car," she said.
ADOT anticipates construction on the US 60 should be complete in six months.