Drivers using Interstate 10 through west Phoenix should plan ahead for two weekend-long closures this month to prepare for construction of an interchange with the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
With heavy traffic and delays expected, ADOT recommends drivers allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes while the following closures are in place:
Westbound I-10 closed between 51st and 75th avenues from 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, to 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 13. Westbound I-10 on-ramps at 35th and 43rd avenues will also be closed.
Eastbound I-10 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.
Motorists should allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes. For example, Loop 101 west of I-17 is one way around the closures.
McDowell Road will serve as a primary local east- or westbound detour route. Slow traffic is expected on roads closest to I-10.
The closures will allow crews to establish a safe work zone for construction of the interchange connecting I-10 and the South Mountain Freeway at 59th Avenue. 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 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.