South Mountain Freeway construction to close Interstate 10 ramps
Jan 17, 2018, 2:33 PM
(Flickr/Alan Stark)
PHOENIX — Multiple ramps leading to and from the Interstate 10 will be closed over the next several months as a new phase of the South Mountain Freeway construction begins.
The first ramp closure is scheduled for the I-10 westbound off-ramp on 51st Avenue, which will be closed from Jan. 27 to March 3 and the westbound I-10 will be closed between 43rd and 51st avenues starting 10 p.m. on Jan. 26 to 5 a.m. on Jan. 29.
Construction of new access roads will change how drivers get on the I-10 between 51st and 67th avenues. Motorists wishing to enter or exit the freeway in this area will soon use new 2-mile-long roadways to access local streets.
The construction, which will take place over the next nine months, will require weekend closures of the I-10 and long-term and permanent closures to on- and off-ramps, during which time traffic will be diverted to McDowell Road or Van Buren Street.
The ramp closures are expected to last 30 to 60 days for each ramp.
The South Mountain Freeway, first approved in 1985 and again in 2004 by voters, is part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan that will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system.
It is scheduled to open in late 2019 and will provide a direct link between the East and West valleys.