Broadway Curve collector-distributor road set to debut in major I-10 project milestone

PHOENIX — The multiyear I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project will reach a significant milestone Monday morning with the debut of the first collector-distributor road.

When westbound Interstate 10 reopens around 4 a.m. after a weekend closure, the collector-distributor (CD) road will be open, changing the way traffic flows through the area.

Motorists who plan to exit westbound I-10 at US 60, Broadway Road, State Route 143 (which goes to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport) or 40th Street will need to get on the CD road first.

The westbound CD road runs alongside the main freeway from Baseline Road to 40th Street.

How can traffic access Broadway Curve collector-distributor road?

Marcy McMacken, an Arizona Department of Transportation spokeswoman, said vehicles can enter the westbound road in two spots: just south of Baseline Road and just north of Baseline.

“As you know, we have I-10 and US 60 and SR 143 that all meet together in a very tight space. So because of that, you’ve got a lot of traffic merging and jockeying in order to get into position and into the lanes they want to be in,” McMacken told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

The $775 million I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project is an ongoing operation to remake 11 miles of freeway. The goal is to reduce travel times during peak hours, improve airport access, support transit options and prepare the region for future growth.

CD roads were designed to help traffic move more smoothly through area, which crosses the Phoenix-Tempe border.

“One of the main goals of the CD road was to get rid of that lane changing and congestion that we see right in that area,” McMacken said.

To prepare for the change, a 15-mile stretch of westbound I-10 from the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in the Chandler/Ahwatukee area to the I-17 “Split” interchange near the airport is closed over the weekend.

By Monday morning, signage will direct drivers through the area, which remains a construction zone with a 55 mph speed limit.

“There will be no pedestrians or cyclists on the CD roads, and there will also be no stop signs or traffic signals while on the collector-distributor roads,” McMacken said.

An eastbound CD road from 48th Street to Baseline Road is expected to open in the fall.

More information about navigating the CD roads is available at the project’s website.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s John Roller contributed to this report.

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