Peoria, we have a heads-up for all the weekend travelers out there. Prepare for some adjustments to your driving route if you're southbound. According to an announcement from the City of Peoria, the southbound I-17 is under wraps for Valentine's/President's Day weekend. Crews will be taking over the stretch between Loop 303 and Happy Valley Road for a pavement improvement project starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, until the crack of early dawn at 5 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 17.
The Arizona Department of Transportation advises using suggested routes to avoid holiday traffic. The southbound I-17 on-ramps at State Route 74/Carefree Highway and Dove Valley Road will be closed. Drivers exiting at Loop 303 must turn right onto westbound Loop 303, while westbound Sonoran Desert Drive traffic must turn right onto northbound I-17.
For those needing to dodge the closure, ADOT has charted a detour that swings you westbound on Loop 303, then south on Lake Pleasant Parkway, before heading east on Happy Valley Road to reconnect with I-17. Drivers typically entering at SR 74/Carefree Highway should take westbound SR 74 to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway, and from Dove Valley Road, head west to southbound 43rd Avenue before cutting over to westbound Loop 303, as detailed by the City of Peoria.
"Taking Loop 303 to Interstate 10 in the West Valley is an option, especially for drivers of large trucks and for those continuing toward California, Tucson and parts of the Valley reached through downtown Phoenix," the City of Peoria stated.
