Freeway improvement work will disrupt traffic across metro Phoenix this weekend

PHOENIX — Work on new and ongoing improvement projects will disrupt metro Phoenix freeway traffic across the region this weekend.

Valley motorists should prepare for delays and detours on sections of Interstates 10 and 17 and Loops 101 and 202 starting Friday night, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory for Sept. 27-30. (Note: All times mentioned below are subject to change.)

What is happening on I-10 this weekend?

As part of the largest ongoing venture, the $775 million Broadway Curve Improvement Project, westbound I-10 will be closed from Loop 202 in the Chandler/Ahwatukee area to US 60 (Superstition Freeway) in Tempe from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday for a traffic shift and paving work.

🚧 I-10 westbound closed between Loop 202 and US 60.
🚧 Loop 101 eastbound closed between 75th and 51st avenues.

Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory full details: https://t.co/5SJFJWIEyS pic.twitter.com/SNz7mebPbK

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) September 27, 2024

In addition, westbound I-10 will be reduced to two lanes from US 60 to State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway), near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and the following ramps will be closed:

• From Loop 202 (Santan and South Mountain freeways) to westbound I-10.
• HOV ramp from westbound US 60 to westbound I-10.
• Westbound I-10 on-ramps at Wild Horse Pass Boulevard/Sundust Road, Chandler Boulevard and Ray, Warner, Elliot, Baseline and Broadway roads (starts at 8 p.m. Friday).
• Westbound US 60 on-ramps at McClintock Drive, Rural Road and Mill Avenue (starts at 8 p.m. Friday).

Westbound I-10 traffic, including airport-bound travelers, can avoid the closure by detouring east on the Loop 202 Santan Freeway, north on the Loop 101 Price Freeway and west on the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway into east and central Phoenix.

An alternative for drivers heading to the West Valley, including to Sunday’s Arizona Cardinals game in Glendale, is to travel west on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which reconnects with I-10 near 59th Avenue in Phoenix.

When I-10 reopens on Monday morning, an additional access point to the westbound collector-distributor (CD) road will be open just north of Baseline Road. The new CD road entry will provide access to SR 143, Broadway Road and 40th Street. Motorists who want to go from westbound I-10 to eastbound US 60 must enter the CD road at the access point south of Baseline Road.

A new entrance to the WB Collector-Distributor (CD) road is opening soon, north of Baseline Rd. in the I-10 Broadway Curve area. Starting Sept. 30, drivers planning to exit at Broadway Rd., SR 143, @PHXSkyHarbor and 40th St. may use a new access point. pic.twitter.com/7TNlis6RiG

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) September 26, 2024

I-17 work slows north Phoenix freeway traffic

In north Phoenix, northbound I-17 will be reduced to one lane from Loop 303 to the SR 74/Carefree Highway interchange from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday as a pavement improvement project continues.

In addition, eastbound Jomax Road will be closed at I-17, with no right turns from northbound I-17 to Jomax, and Dixileta Drive will be blocked at 27th Avenue near the North Gateway Transfer Station.

Motorists should plan for delays or, if possible, travel through the area during off-peak hours. However, they should not detour onto surface streets if they encounter backups on I-17, ADOT said.

Watch out for construction on new West Valley project

New to the metro Phoenix freeway traffic map this weekend is a widening project in the northwest Valley.

The eastbound Loop 101 Agua Fria Freeway will be closed from 75th Avenue to 51st Avenue from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.

In addition, the ramps from Bell Road and Union Hills Drive to northbound Loop 101 will be off-limits.

Traffic forced to exit Loop 101 at 75th Avenue can detour along the eastbound Beardsley frontage road and reenter the freeway at 51st Avenue. Another option is to take eastbound Union Hills Drive to northbound 51st Avenue to Loop 101.

The Loop 101 widening project is expected to take 2.5 years to complete.

What else will affect metro Phoenix freeway traffic?

Projects in Scottsdale and the East Valley also will impact metro Phoenix freeway traffic this weekend.

In Scottsdale, Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard will be closed in both directions at Loop 101 Pima Freeway from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for bridge work. Motorists can use the freeway access roads and nearby surface streets to cross Loop 101 while Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard is off-limits.

In Chandler, Arizona Avenue will closed in both directions at the Loop 202 Santan Freeway from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday as part of a pavement improvement project. In addition, the eastbound Loop 202 will be reduced to two lanes from Cooper Road to Gilbert Road from 9 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m.

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