Here’s how the new Interstate 17 flex lanes north of metro Phoenix will look in action

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation released a video on Thursday to show drivers what the upcoming eight miles of flex lanes north of metro Phoenix on the Interstate 17 will look like once they’re completed.

The upcoming flex lanes will give drivers a separate, two-lane roadway to go down. They’ll stretch from Sunset Point Rest Area, south of the Grand Canyon and north of the Agua Fria National Monument, to Coldwater Road in Black Canyon City. This eight-mile section sees a ton of congestion and traffic, which authorities hope to alleviate.

The roadways will carry one direction of traffic at a time. It depends on the greatest need along the eight-mile section. 

The I-17 flex lanes aren’t the only changes drivers can expect

On top of adding flex lanes, ADOT is also constructing new travel lanes from Anthem Way to Black Canyon City. 

The interstate section, which runs from north Phoenix and Flagstaff, sees over one million travelers each year, ADOT reports. Currently, this stretch of the highway has two travel lanes in each direction, but authorities want to make more room for drivers to ease traffic.

That means drivers will enjoy widened freeways for around 23 miles once the project completes around 2025.

“This will better accommodate existing traffic and increased traffic as the demand on I-17 continues to grow,” according to ADOT’s site.

In addition to flex lanes and widened freeways, construction workers are also replacing two bridges and widening 10 additional bridges.