UPDATE (6:25 p.m.) According to ADOT, Interstate 10 westbound has been reopened from 43rd to 59th avenues ahead of schedule.
NEW: I-10 westbound reopened 36 hours ahead of schedule. The opening marks the end of all work-related Valley freeway closures planned for this weekend. MORE: https://t.co/KdBEYWHult
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) January 28, 2018
The freeway was not due to reopen until 5 a.m on Monday.
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Look out for closures on Interstate 10 westbound as crews continue work for the new South Mountain Freeway that will connect the West Valley to the southeast Valley without having to go through downtown Phoenix.
Track the closures and alternate routes in the map below.
Arizona Department of Transportation crews will start doing some ramp work for the new freeway that has been in the works for years.
The closure will only last through the weekend -- it'll be westbound I-10 between 43rd Avenue and 59th Avenue.
This part of I-10 is going to look a lot different with a huge new interchange and changes to the on-and-off ramps along I-10.
ADOT knows this is a big undertaking. Dustin Krugel with ADOT says, "We literally have construction occurring underground with some of the drainage work, we have construction occurring on the ground, some of the roadwork. And then we have construction that's occurring above I-10 all these new bridges that we're building."
The speed limit has been reduced in these areas, and ADOT officials want to remind drivers to look out for road crews.
The new 22-mile stretch of highway will go from the I-10 in the West Valley, wrap around Laveen and South Mountain, connecting to the southeast Valley.
The freeway is expected to be open by late 2019.
Closure and restriction information, according to ADOT:
- The first ramp closure is scheduled for the I-10 westbound off-ramp at 51st Avenue, which will be closed from Saturday, Jan. 27, to Saturday, March 3. In conjunction with this ramp closure, westbound I-10 will be closed between 43rd and 51st avenues from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26, and 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29.
- The construction of the new access roads, which will be completed over the next nine months, will change on how drivers access I-10 between 51st and 67th avenues. Motorists will have dedicated on- and off-ramps at 67th Avenue in addition to the access road.
- Motorists wishing to enter or exit the freeway in this area will eventually use these new 2-mile-long roadways to access local streets, similar to the I-10 stretch between 91st and 107th avenues near the Loop 101 junction. For example, a driver on westbound I-10 needing to get off at 59th Avenue will exit at 51st Avenue and travel west on the access road to 59th Avenue.
- This work will require weekend closures of I-10 as well as long-term and permanent closures of existing on- and off-ramps. During the weekend closures, traffic will be diverted to McDowell Road or Van Buren Street.
- The I-10 ramp closures are expected to last approximately 30-60 days for each ramp.
