ADOT to begin interchange work on busy stretch of route between Phoenix and Las Vegas
Dec 29, 2023, 4:15 AM | Updated: 6:13 am
PHOENIX — An interchange project slated to begin next year is expected to lessen traffic in a busy area on the drive between Phoenix and Las Vegas.
The new interchange will directly connect Interstate 40 and U.S. 93, meaning those traveling between Phoenix and Las Vegas won’t have to go through Kingman on Beale Street if they so choose.
The Arizona Department of Transportation said that the decision stems from “increasing traffic growth and congestion in west Kingman” as a byproduct of Kingman connecting the two major cities.
The proposed solution has current data in mind as well as projections for the next 25 years and is expected to open in 2026.
A free-flowing connection between I-40 and U.S. 93 will free up traffic to connect without a stoplight necessary. New ramps will be constructed at U.S. 93 to maintain access to Beale Street for those traveling to Kingman, and the I-40’s capacity will be increased.
ADOT said the construction will be done in two phases with Phoenix-to-Las Vegas connections constructed first, followed by Las Vegas-to-California connections. Construction on the first phase will begin in 2024 and cost $160 million.
In addition, ADOT announced that a project widening a two-lane roadway into a four-lane divided highway near Wickenburg (milepost 194-199) is “at 50% completion,” and a nearby three-mile span northwest of Wickenburg will follow in 2026.
ADOT says its long-term vision calls for a four-lane divided highway for the entire 200 miles between Wickenburg and Nevada, and these are both steps toward achieving that.
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