Travel time estimates not showing up on I-10, ADOT blames construction

PHOENIX — Some commuters heading on Interstate 10 may have noticed that estimated travel times aren’t appearing anymore on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s message boards.

ADOT released a statement Wednesday that said that the construction on the South Mountain Freeway limits its ability to display estimated travel times to I-10 drivers.

This was happening because I-10 traffic was shifted between 43rd and 75th avenues, meaning the in-pavement sensors were not able to track the vehicles or provide estimates. 

The travel times will eventually return to the message boards when the South Mountain Freeway opens in late 2019.

In the meantime, the boards will continue to show information on crashes, restrictions, closures, hazardous weather, law enforcement alerts and more.

ADOT first introduced the overhead message boards in 2008. There are 248 boards across the state highway system, including 152 in the Phoenix area.

In February, Arizona’s largest single highway project was said to be more than 35 percent completed. Work was underway in all but one section of the 22-mile stretch, with plans to expand construction soon.

First approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004, the South Mountain Freeway will provide a long-planned link between the East and West valleys and will give relief to existing freeway corridors and local streets.