I-17 project completed in time to ease congestion north of Valley for holiday travelers

PHOENIX – If you’re hitting the road this weekend ahead of the Christmas holiday, you won’t have to worry about any freeway closures around metro Phoenix.

In fact, if you are traveling north of the Valley, your trip could be easier than ever thanks to a transformative project on Interstate 17.

“ADOT is happy to announce that the I-17 Improvement Project has officially reached substantial completion,” Laura Douglas, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Transportation, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Thursday. “And this means that all major construction work on this three-year project is officially now complete.”

Crews might still be seen wrapping up minor tasks such as survey and landscaping work.

How is Interstate 17 different after three-year project?

The $522 million I-17 Improvement Project was funded through federal, state and local sources.

Work to remake a 23-mile stretch of I-17 between Anthem and Sunset Point began in September 2022.

“This is the first … holiday season where drivers will really get to experience those new lanes, that 23-mile stretch, that added capacity,” Douglas said.

The project consisted of two main sections. A 15-mile stretch from Anthem Way to Black Canyon City was expanded with new third lanes that opened in May.

Additionally, the state’s first flex lanes were built over 8 miles from Black Canyon City to Sunset Point. The two-lane flex lanes debuted in July and started operating seven days a week in September.

The flex lanes run alongside the southbound general-purpose lanes and typically are set for northbound traffic Mondays through Saturdays and southbound traffic on Sundays.

However, they are open to southbound traffic on Sundays and Mondays during long holiday weekends.

“The two new flex lanes really alleviate the congestion that we’ve seen before. They add capacity,” Douglas said.

More details about work completed on Interstate 17

The project also included improvements to 12 bridges, with 10 widened and two replaced completely.

Crews completed 62 controlled rock blasts as part of the project, and the resulting material was all reused.

“When we paved the new lanes, when we did bridge abutment protection and things like that, all of that earth material went back into the project in some form or fashion,” Douglas said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s John Roller contributed to this report.

Get the latest KTAR News 92.3 FM traffic alerts sent straight to your phone by texting “TRAFFIC” to 620620.

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