Phoenix drivers, brace yourselves for detours and delays this weekend as ADOT rolls out a new round of freeway closures for various improvement projects throughout the area. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Southbound Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) is set to close between Hayden Road and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for a widening project. The Eastbound Loop 101 on-ramp at Scottsdale Road will also be shut down, signaling a weekend where patience on the roads will be as vital as the very asphalt upon which tires tread.
With the Westbound Loop 202 (Santan/South Mountain freeways) closing between Kyrene Road and 40th Street from 9 p.m. Friday to 2 p.m. Saturday for pavement sealing, commuters in the Chandler/Ahwatukee area should anticipate the additional challenge of closed westbound Loop 202 ramps to and from I-10 near Chandler Boulevard, causing a traffic dance of redirection and reroutes, the Eastbound Loop 202 will undergo a similar shutdown between 40th Street and Kyrene Road from 9 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday. ADOT's advisory suggests using Chandler Boulevard or Ray Road as alternate pathways through this vehicular puzzle.
Not to be left out, the Southeast Valley will see the Eastbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) closed between Williams Field and Higley roads starting 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday for pavement maintenance, with additional closures for on-ramps at Gilbert Road, Lindsay Road, and Val Vista Drive. Detours recommend utilizing eastbound Williams Field or Germann roads to Higley Road as a workaround to rejoin Loop 202 past the construction. For those navigating through Chandler, expect narrowing down to two lanes on Eastbound Loop 202 between Alma School Road and Arizona Avenue, from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, due to bridge work, the Arizona Avenue closure itself will cut across both directions at Loop 202 from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday.
In a bid to keep Phoenix's traffic arteries from clotting entirely, the Southbound I-17 frontage road will be closed between Camelback and Indian School roads, from 9 p.m. Friday till the dawn of Monday, the companion off- and on-ramps at Camelback Road, and the off-ramp at Indian School Road will be sealed off, alternative routes like southbound 27th Avenue thus stepping into the spotlight to shepherd commuters home. These disruptions, interjected into the lives of those traversing the Phoenix sprawl, are managed by ADOT under the umbrella of the Regional Transportation Plan, which is, in part, funded by Proposition 400 appealed to voters back in 2004, and the more recent Proposition 479.
Though drivers might at times feel adrift in an ocean of orange cones and detour signs, updates and guidance are just a click away with real-time highway conditions available at ADOT's Arizona Traveler Information site, AZ511.gov, its az511 mobile app, or the old reliable 511 calls. And while the wait might be unwelcome, the lure of smoother, wider roads ahead reminds us that progress often comes paired with a temporary change in course.
