Weekend roadwork: Watch out for these closures on 5 metro Phoenix freeways

PHOENIX — Drivers should be prepared for a tangle of metro Phoenix detours this weekend, with closures scheduled on five Valley freeways.

And that’s on top of two road-clogging events in Glendale’s Westgate Entertainment District: Kamala Harris’ campaign rally Friday afternoon at Desert Diamond Arena and the Arizona Cardinals’ preseason opener at 5 p.m. Saturday at State Farm Stadium.

🚧 I-17 NB closed at Jomax Rd.
🚧 I-10 WB closed US 60 to SR 143.
🚧 US 60 WB closed Loop 101 to I-10.
🚧 Loop 202 Santan EB closed Loop 101 to Arizona Ave.
🚧 Loop 101 NB closed at Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd.

Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory full details: https://t.co/5SJFJWIEyS pic.twitter.com/ZcE3HicYnp

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) August 9, 2024

One of the closures is in north Phoenix, where northbound Interstate 17 will be shut down at Jomax Road from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory for Aug. 9-12.

In addition, the ramp from Happy Valley Road to northbound I-17 will be closed, as will westbound Jomax Road near the freeway.

With all of the earthwork on the #ImprovingI17 Project, crews are building mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. These walls hold up the earth behind them to protect the bridges. Two MSE walls are being constructed between Anthem Way and Sunset Point. pic.twitter.com/jqcZEmyYBj

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) August 9, 2024

Northbound I-17 traffic can exit and reenter the freeway at the Jomax interchange and should avoid detouring onto local surface streets, regardless of what travel apps might suggest, ADOT said. North of Jomax, I-17 will be reduced to one lane until Loop 303.

With delays expected, officials are advising drivers to travel through the area early in the morning or later in the evening if possible.

Broadway Curve Improvement project continues

Valley motorists also need to be on the lookout for restrictions related to the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, as is regularly the case on weekends.

Westbound I-10 will be closed from US 60 (Superstition Freeway) in Tempe to State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway) near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday. In addition, the ramps from Elliot, Baseline and Broadway roads to westbound I-10 will be off limits.

To avoid the closure, westbound I-10 traffic can get into Phoenix by heading east on the Loop 202 Santan Freeway or US 60 to the northbound Loop 101 Price Freeway to the westbound Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway. Meanwhile, drivers heading from the Chandler/Ahwatukee area to the West Valley can take the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway west and north to reconnect with I-10 near 59th Avenue.

In the other direction, eastbound I-10 will be narrowed to three lanes from 40th Street to 48th Street from 8 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday for Broadway Curve construction, and the ramp from 40th Street to eastbound I-10 will be blocked off. And if that weren’t enough, southbound 48th Street will be out of commission from I-10 to Broadway Road.

And in a longer term move, the eastbound I-10 off-ramp at 48th Street/SR 143 will close Friday night and stay that way until late fall for freeway reconfiguration work.

What are the other metro Phoenix freeway detours this weekend?

The weekend’s three other freeway closures are on the east side of the Valley.

• In Scottsdale, the northbound lanes of the Loop 101 Pima Freeway will be closed at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday along with the on-ramps at Shea Boulevard, Cactus Road and Raintree Drive. Traffic can stay on the access road and reenter the freeway at Princess Drive/Pima Road to avoid the closure, which is for bridge work.

• In Tempe, westbound US 60 will be closed from Loop 101 all the way to I-10 from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for pavement work. The ramps from Alma School and Dobson roads to westbound US 60 also will be closed. Traffic heading from the East Valley toward Phoenix can take Loop 101 north to the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway to bypass the closure.

• Furthermore, a new longterm freeway-widening initiative is revving up in the East Valley. The eastbound Loop 202 Santan Freeway will be closed from Loop 101 to Arizona Avenue in Chandler from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday as work starts on a project that is expected to take more than two years. Drivers can use Chandler Boulevard or Germann Road to get through Chandler while the 202 is closed this weekend.

Watch out for one night of restrictions on State Route 51

There is one other restriction worth noting, but it’s not a full closure.

Northbound SR 51 will be reduced to one lane from Glendale Avenue to Shea Boulevard in Phoenix from 9 p.m. Friday to noon Saturday for pavement maintenance. The ramps from Glendale and Northern avenues to northbound SR 51 will also be off limits.

All times are subject to change.

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