Brace yourselves, Phoenix commuters: It's going to be a weekend of detours and delays. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, several freeway restrictions, including a complete shutdown of a section of Loop 101 in Tempe, are scheduled for this weekend, April 19-22. ADOT advises travelers to plan ahead, allow for additional travel time, and consider alternative routes to dodge the gridlock.

Those heading southbound on Loop 101, also known as Price Freeway, will need to quickly figure out a new game plan. The entire stretch from Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) down to US 60 in Tempe will be off-limits from Friday night at 9 p.m. until the early hours of Monday at 5 a.m. For pavement improvement work. To circumvent the closure, drivers are suggested to use eastbound Loop 202 to southbound Dobson Road, or exit early and take Hayden Road or McClintock Drive, as per the ADOT's advisory.

The weekend's roadwork doesn't stop there. Westbound I-10 will be squeezed down to two lanes between US 60 (Superstition Freeway) and 24th Street near Sky Harbor Airport starting from 3 a.m. on Saturday to 4 a.m. on Monday due to bridge construction. Additionally, Southbound State Route 143's ramp to westbound I-10 gets the axe along with off- and on-ramps at 40th Street. The detour in play here involves taking the northbound State Route 143 to the westbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway).

For travelers on US 60 (Superstition Freeway), expect some squeezing of your own. Westbound lanes will be narrowed down to one between Priest Drive and I-10 from the wee hours of Saturday until Monday morning for bridge work. Northbound Loop 101 to westbound Loop 202 is the recommended alternate route. And if you're trying to go from westbound I-10 to eastbound US 60, forget about it from Friday night at 10 p.m. until Monday at 4 a.m. – paving work for the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project is to blame. The suggested detour is to exit at Broadway Road, take a left and then hop on eastbound I-10 to access US 60 eastbound, highlighted on the ADOT's website.

While ADOT has these measures seemingly well mapped out, they also caution that schedules could shift due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. These improvements are part of a concerted effort funded in part by Proposition 400, a Maricopa County sales tax initiative passed in 2004. Keep your phones handy and check the real-time highway conditions on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov before you embark on your weekend journey.