EB I-10 temporarily reopens south of Phoenix after closure due to issue with Gila River Bridge

PHOENIX — The eastbound lanes of the Interstate 10 have temporarily reopened after being closed at the Gila River Bridge south of Phoenix on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

A technical issue with the bridge deck caused the shutdown near milepost 173 before 4 a.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT spokesperson Steve Elliott said the bridge’s concrete deck has worn through to the underlying rebar.

“The issue is affecting one lane of the two-lane bridge,” Elliott told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “This issue is unrelated to the current project to replace the I-10 Gila River bridges with modern, three-lane spans.”

ADOT reopened one eastbound lane around 9:15 a.m. However, authorities plan to reinstate the closure on Tuesday evening so full repairs can be made.

Both eastbound lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.

One lane will reopen Wednesday morning because the concrete used to make repairs needs a lot of time to cure, ADOT said.

How did the Gila River Bridge issue impact drivers on Tuesday morning?

During the closure, ADOT directed eastbound I-10 traffic to exit the freeway at Riggs Road.

CLOSED: I-10 EB is closed at the Gila River bridge (MP 173). The closure is due to an issue with the bridge deck.

For real-time traffic info, check https://t.co/l4s0AFGOpz & the AZ511 app:
📱 Apple: https://t.co/ZBt7iIAdRd
📱 Android: https://t.co/n3R7tHa8nN

1/2 pic.twitter.com/vo0NVYZyxK

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) June 25, 2024

Motorists were encouraged to divert to southbound State Routes 87 and 587, ADOT said.

The closure caused backup of the eastbound I-10 all the way to Queen Creek Road.

The westbound lanes were not impacted.

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