Westbound US 60 closing for weekend from Loop 101 to I-10

PHOENIX –Westbound U.S. 60 will be closed from Friday evening until Monday morning so crews can replace signs and restripe lanes between Loop 101 and Interstate 10 in Tempe.

The freeway will be closed between the Loop 101 and Interstate 10 in Tempe from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

The closure this weekend will be to adjust lane locations and install new signs that should improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of the minor rear-end collisions. The area was highly scrutinized because of so many fender benders.

The Arizona Department of Transportation announced Sunday that the highway was reopened around 1 p.m. after the improvements were completed ahead of schedule.

REOPENED: US WB has reopened early from L-101 to I-10 in Tempe. The road had been closed for striping and other improvements since late Friday. #phxtraffic

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 15, 2018

Doug Nintzel, a spokesman with the department, told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the project will include “changes that are designed to improve traffic flow in the left lane.

“What it really involves is that drivers often get involved in rear-end fender benders in this section of westbound US 60 and as we’ve looked at it…we’ve decided to restripe the left lanes so that now two lanes will be able to go onto the ramp to eastbound I-10,” he said.

“That could help with the overall flow of traffic and reduce the risk of sudden lane changes that could lead to crashes,” Nintzel added.

“The goal is to cut down on fender benders that do often occur in the area by reducing traffic backups in that area.”

In November 2017, the Arizona Department of Transportation conducted a study that forced shutting down a smaller stretch of the same road at the westbound on-ramp at Mill Avenue.

In addition, both Loop 101 ramps to the westbound US 60 and the eastbound off-ramp at Baseline Road will be closed.

Eastbound I-10 will have the two left lanes closed between Broadway Road and U.S. 60 from 9 p.m. on Friday to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and the eastbound I-10 HOV-lane ramp to eastbound US 60 and westbound I-10 right lane near the US 60 interchange will also be closed.

Alternate routes include the westbound U.S. 60 ramp to the Loop 101.

The Loop 101 north to the Loop 202 will serve as the alternate route to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and downtown Phoenix.

The Loop 101 south will serve as an alternative to the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix.

U.S. 60 westbound approaching the I-10 was also closed in 2016 to install a line of lane-delineator posts near the HOV lane to discourage sudden lane changes.

The Arizona Department of Transportation announced that the east- and westbound Interstate 10 ramps to southbound I-17 would be closed from 11:30 p.m. on Saturday to 8 a.m. on Sunday for APS utility pole placement.

The northbound I-17 on-ramp at Adams Street and southbound on-ramp at McDowell Road would also be closed.

Off-ramps for the north- and southbound State Route 51 would also be closed at Indian School Road from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday for a city of Phoenix waterline project. Traffic exiting at Indian School Road would be limited to westbound turns.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Madison Spence contributed to this report. 

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