ADOT says Valley freeways entering busy season for closures, restrictions

PHOENIX — Traffic on Valley freeways is about to get worse before it gets better.

Freeway construction projects are set to ramp up as the weather warms up, according to a press release from the Arizona Department of Transportation.

“Warmer weather is a big reason for work gearing up now,” said Steve Boschen, head of ADOT’s Infrastructure Delivery and Operations Division.

Separate widening projects on Loop 101 on the Price Freeway between Baseline Road and Loop 202 Santan Freeway are scheduled to be completed by summer and will cost $60 million.

A Loop 101 Pima Freeway widening project between Interstate 17 and Princess Drive is not slated for completion until spring 2021 and will cost $185 million.

The construction of a new bridge over Interstate 10 at Fairway Drive, east of Dysart Road in Avondale, is set to be finished by the spring and will total $21 million. The project will also include new freeway on and off ramps.

Finally, at Happy Valley and Pinnacle Peak roads, $50 million has been allocated to replace old bridges with wider structure and is scheduled to be completed this fall.

Work also is scheduled to continue this year near or along the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which opened to traffic in December. Examples of that work include landscaping and the addition of a top layer of rubberized asphalt along the freeway.

Most traffic restrictions are scheduled to occur during overnight and weekend hours.

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