Get ready for a weekend of detours, Phoenix drivers. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is rolling out the orange barrels and shutting down southbound lanes of Interstate 17 from May 10 until the early hours of May 13 for pavement improvements. For those living in or traveling through the north Phoenix and Anthem areas, you'll need to map out an alternate route.

The shut down will span the section of I-17 from State Route 74, also known as Carefree Highway, down to Loop 303, kicking off at 10 p.m. this Friday and lasting until 5 a.m. Monday. The first wave of closures also includes shutting down southbound on-ramps at Daisy Mountain Drive and Pioneer Road. According to ADOT, the recommended detour for this inconvenience? Drivers are to take the westbound SR 74 to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway and then hop over to eastbound Loop 303 to rejoin I-17.

This isn't a one-off event — ADOT has warned that there's more to come in the next few months for both north- and southbound I-17, with additional closures and weeknight lane restrictions on the horizon. The work involves removing a top layer of beat-up asphalt before hitting the surface with diamond grinding, a technique used to smooth out the underlying concrete, which has seen action on other Phoenix freeways including I-10 and the Loop circuits 101 and 202.

Separately, yet not so far away, I-17 drivers will continue to navigate the construction as part of the I-17 Improvement Project happening north of Anthem Way. For the weary traveler in search of relief, real-time highway conditions can be scouted through ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site, the az511 app, or by old-fashioned dialing to 511, sparing them the surprise of bumper-to-bumper delays or jolting roadblocks.