First phase completed of expansive I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project

PHOENIX — The first phase of the expansive Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project has been completed after a year of work, the Arizona Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

Crews began construction in July 2021, with the most work on the 11-mile, $775 million project being done between Baseline Road and 40th Street in Tempe.

Here are some highlights of the first construction phase:

• Moved the 75-foot-tall “North Pole” utility pole on the north side of I-10 near 46th Street in April.

• Construction is underway on new bridges at 48th Street and Broadway Road. Girders, each about 180 feet long, have been set over I-10 for the bridges and deck construction is underway.

• Girders for the new State Route 143 and 48th Street bridges have also been set over the Tempe Drain. The bridge over the Tempe Drain on 48th Street is open to traffic.

• Crews are building block sound walls along both sides of I-10 between Elliot and Guadalupe roads and installing the substructures for two new multi-use bridges over I-10 at Alameda Drive — by Tempe Diablo Stadium — and the Western Canal by US 60.

The second phase of the project is underway and will complete a number objectives through late 2023.

Crews will reconfigure ramps, start construction on collector distributor roads on both sides of I-10 between Baseline Road and 40th Street, and continue widening and improving the Guadalupe Road bridge.

Construction to widen eastbound I-10 south of Baseline Road is also scheduled to be completed and open to drivers before the end of the year.

The project is being funded by Proposition 400, the half-cent sales tax in the county approved by voters in 2004.

Its purpose is to reduce travel times on I-10 during peak hours, improve airport access, support transit options and prepare the region for future growth projections.

People can keep track of progress on the project on its website as well as on a free mobile app.

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