Parts of I-17 in Phoenix to shut down for wrong-way detection system
Sep 22, 2017, 4:05 AM
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — The weekend is just around the corner, wrapping up the end of a long work week. So don’t let highway traffic get your weekend in a jam. Here are the Phoenix-area freeways that will be closed or restricted during the weekend of Sept. 22.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Interstate 17 will be closed in two directions at two different times during the weekend.
The highway will be closed in both directions at Dunlap Avenue from 9 p.m. on Friday to 2 p.m. on Saturday and in both directions at Thunderbird Road from 9 p.m. on Saturday to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
These closures will allow for crews to install a wrong-way vehicle detection system, the department said. Multiple sections of the I-17 have been shut down to allow for these installations in recent weeks.
Arizona officials have pushed for a detection system for wrong-way drivers, after the state Department of Public Safety found that nearly 740 wrong-way drivers have been reported on Arizona freeways in 2017 alone. A majority of the wrong-way crashes have been caused by intoxicated drivers.
The I-17 will also be closed intermittently in both directions between Camelback and Indian School roads from 4 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Sunday for overhead utility line work.
The northbound State Route 51 ramp to westbound Loop 101 will also be closed from 10 p.m. on Friday to 8 a.m. on Saturday for barrier wall repairs, while the on- and off-ramps on Grand Avenue at Bell Road overpass are set to reopen by 5 p.m. on Sunday.