Downtown Phoenix Deck Park Tunnel getting modern lighting system

PHOENIX – Things are looking brighter for the Deck Park Tunnel in downtown Phoenix.

Crews embarked on a $1.4 million project last month to install a modern LED lighting system throughout the Interstate 10 tunnel, the Arizona Department of Transportation said in a press release Tuesday.

Installation of more than 3,200 lights will continue over the next few months during overnight weekend closures, ADOT said.

The next closure is scheduled for 12 hours starting at 9 p.m. Friday for eastbound I-10 from the I-17 “Stack” interchange to Seventh Street.

The new system will improve visibility in the 30-year-old structure, also known as the Papago Freeway Tunnel, and save more than $175,000 in yearly energy costs, according to the release.

The Deck Park Tunnel — which runs about .75 miles under Margaret T. Hance Park, between Third Avenue and Third Street — has been illuminated by a high-pressure sodium lighting system since it opened in 1990.

Nearly 300,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel on an average day.

ADOT maintenance funds are covering the cost of the new system, according to the release.

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