Commuting to the West Valley may take you longer than expected because of a closure from 51st Avenue to 75th Avenue on the westbound lanes of I-10. There are several more closures this weekend compared to what we saw last weekend. Here's what the Arizona Department of Transportation recommends:
Drivers should allow extra travel time, consider alternate routes
The westbound lanes of I-10 were closed between 51st and 75th avenues to prepare for construction of a Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway interchange until Sunday afternoon. The closure was expected to last until Friday morning but was lifted Sunday around noon·
Next weekend, eastbound I-10 (toward downtown Phoenix) will be closed between 75th and 51st avenues from 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 to 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 20. Eastbound I-10 on-ramps at 91st, 83rd and 79th avenues will also be closed.
Here are other closures:
· Eastbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) closed between I-10 and 44th Street from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 11) for lane striping. All I-10 ramps to eastbound Loop 202 closed. Southbound State Route 51 ramp to eastbound Loop 202 will be open, but drivers must exit at 32nd Street. DETOUR: Consider alternate routes including I-10 to northbound State Route 143 to reach eastbound Loop 202.
· Eastbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) closed between Gilbert Road and Val Vista Drive from 10 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Saturday (Feb. 11) for traffic-flow detector installation. Eastbound US 60 on-ramps at Mesa and Stapley drives also closed. DETOUR: Consider exiting eastbound US 60 ahead of closure and using Baseline Road or Southern Avenue to Val Vista Drive.
· Eastbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) closed at Stapley Drive from 10 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday (Feb. 12) for traffic-flow sensor installation. Eastbound US 60 on-ramps at Country Club and Mesa drives closed. DETOUR: Eastbound US 60 traffic will detour along the off- and on-ramps at Mesa Drive. Consider exiting ahead of closure and using local routes.
· Eastbound Interstate 10 closed between 48th Street and Broadway Road from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday (Feb. 13) for traffic-flow sensor installation. Eastbound I-10 on-ramps at 32nd and 40th streets also closed. DETOUR: Consider alternate routes including eastbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) to southbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and westbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) to connect with eastbound I-10.
· Northbound Interstate 17 narrowed to one lane between 19th Avenue and Adams Street from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Sunday (Feb. 12) for construction. DETOUR: Consider alternate routes including westbound Interstate 10 through tunnel to northbound I-17 at Stack interchange.
· Westbound US 60 (Grand Avenue) closed at Loop 101 from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (Feb. 13) for improvements to New River bridge. DETOUR: Consider alternate routes or detours that include Thunderbird Road, Peoria Avenue and 99th Avenue.
Here's what they're working on for the I-10 closures:
These closures will allow crews to establish a safe work zone to build an interchange connecting I-10 and the South Mountain Freeway at 59th Avenue. By the time the interchange is complete in late 2019, I-10 will be widened between 43rd and 75th avenues, with additional merge lanes in each direction. In addition, new east-west access roads parallel to I-10 will allow freeway access between 51st and 67th avenues.
The Arizona Department of Transportation selected the weekends of Feb. 10-13 and Feb. 17-20 for the I-10 closures to keep the South Mountain Freeway project moving toward completion by late 2019. The timing also avoids baseball spring training, the NCAA Men’s Final Four Basketball Championship and the recent Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament.
The 22-mile South Mountain Freeway, expected to open by late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to I-10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.
