Brace yourselves, commuters! The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has announced several freeway closures this weekend in the Phoenix area for travelers to contend with. Motorists are advised to prepare for major detours and significant delays.
If you're cruising down southbound Interstate 17, be ready for a complete shutdown from Loop 303 to Happy Valley Road starting from 10 p.m. today to the wee hours of Monday at 5 a.m. because of pavement improvements. ADOT warns of this inconvenience and suggests allowing extra time for travel. Drivers are urged to take westbound Loop 303 to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway, then onto eastbound Happy Valley Road to rejoin I-17, as their primary detour route.
But the work doesn't stop there. Westbound Interstate 10 will also be seeing closures. The ADOT reported in a recent notice that from US 60 to the I-17 interchange near Sky Harbor Airport, westbound lanes will be closed starting 10 p.m. today until 4 a.m. Monday. This is part of the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, and will also include the closure of the northbound State Route 143 between Broadway Road and Loop 202.
And it doesn't end there either. Northern drivers are not out of the woods, as northbound Loop 101 will be closed between Loop 202 and Warner Road in Chandler for pavement enhancements. The closure starts 9 p.m. today and will last until 5 a.m. Monday, compatible detour routes such as northbound Dobson Road or McClintock Drive are recommended.
ADOT advises all travelers to check out real-time highway conditions on their Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, download the az511 app, or call 511 just to be safe. All these closures accommodate improvement projects planned as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for Maricopa County, with most projects partly funded by Proposition 400, sales tax passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Keep in mind, schedules are subject to change because of weather conditions or other unforeseen factors—so it pays to be prepared.
