Get ready to reroute, travelers! I-10 is scheduled for some overnight detours near Willcox starting next week, and it's all because they're tearing down the old US 191 bridge. For those planning to hit the road, mark your calendars for Monday, March 18 through Friday, March 22, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m, where you'll need to follow the detour signs to get through.
The detours are sadly necessary while workers begin to carefully dismantle the US 191 bridge that took a heavy hit from a crash last year. This all goes down at milepost 331, right about 9 miles on the west side of Willcox, at a stretch where westward drivers will have to temporarily detour onto another road, while folks going east will be using the exit and entrance ramps at US 191 to keep moving.
According to information from the Arizona Department of Transportation, this is just the flashy part of the $5.3 million project that kicked off earlier this year, aiming to rebuild the bridge's superstructure – that's the girders and deck for those not savvy with construction talk. And since that bridge got knocked out last May, they've had a temp structure up to keep I-10 traffic flowing.
Once the old bridge is out of the picture, the crews will roll up their sleeves to start to quickly rebuild the bridge spanning I-10. Drivers should brace themselves for a bit of daytime slowdown, and yes, a few more overnight detours, as construction is expected to truck along through summer 2024.
The US 191 bridge has been out of commission since that nasty crash, severing the direct route from the westbound I-10 to southbound US 191 and from northbound US 191 to westbound I-10. Eastbound connections are still good to go, and if you're trying to hop from the westbound I-10 to points south on US 191, consider taking Dragoon Road at milepost 318 instead.
Locals and other stakeholders have been champing at the bit to get this access back, and they've been in the loop with ADOT's plans. For anyone needing more deets on the project and probably some traffic tips, too, head on over to azdot.gov/US191BridgeRepair.
