On Thursday, the Arizona Department of Transportation moved westbound lanes of Interstate 10 near Eloy to new lanes.
In a press release, ADOT wrote, "The new westbound lanes run east of the current alignment starting near milepost 213 and reconnect with the existing lanes of I-10 near milepost 209."
The eastbound lanes remain in place for now, but will be moved next month.
This is a part of a multi-layer project with ADOT, which includes widening I-10 to three lanes in each direction and a new dust detection system.
FULL SECTION: Operation Safe Roads
"We'll have a six-lane freeway all the way from Casa Grande to Tucson," ADOT spokesperson Tom Herrmann explained.
The dust detection system is described as "first of its kind" with the system including short- and long-range radar to alert officials when a dust storm is heading toward the I-10.
In conjunction, variable speed limit signs will tell drivers that weather conditions are changing the speed limit in the area and electronic message boards will illuminate to inform drivers about the current conditions. There will also be closed-circuit cameras to allow ADOT to monitor the traffic situation.
Herrmann said that ADOT conducted a study between 2010 and 2015 and found that nearly half of all dust-related crashes happened in the area where these improvements are being made.
"This is a very important section of freeway; a very busy section of freeway," Herrmann described. "We want to try to make this as safe as we can. The combination of widening I-10 in this section and the one in Casa Grande, along with the dust-detection project, we think will go a long way toward making this section of I-10 safer for drivers and give drivers the information that they need so they can make the smart decision when you look up and see dust."
They hope to complete all of the work between Casa Grande and Tucson on the I-10 by late 2019.
For information on these projects, click here.
