Tag Archives: Interstate 10

On Saturday’s “Things to Do” list – check out the new Loop 303/I-10 Interchange before it opens to traffic

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ADOT Photo.

PHOENIX – Saturday morning (August 16) provides an opportunity for you to get an up-close look at the soon-to-be-completed Loop 303/I-10 Traffic Interchange in Goodyear. The Arizona Department of Transportation and city of Goodyear will provide local residents and visitors with a chance to walk, jog, skate or cycle beneath the elevated ramps that will soon carry traffic between the two freeways in the West Valley.

A Loop 303 dedication event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday along the new westbound I-10 frontage road that also was built as part of the $145 million freeway-to-freeway interchange project. All ramps at the interchange are scheduled to be open to traffic by September.

Governor Jan Brewer is scheduled to be on hand for the event, along with Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, ADOT Director John Halikowski and other dignitaries.

Parking will be available on the eastbound I-10 frontage road east of Citrus Road, south of I-10, in Goodyear. Citrus Road, which is west of the new Loop 303/I-10 Interchange, can be accessed from either McDowell Road or Van Buren Street.

After parking, those attending the event will be able to walk or roll through the Cotton Lane underpass beneath I-10 and have an up-close view of the large ramps at the interchange. Local community organizations will be on hand to share information with guests.

For safety reasons, those attending the open house will not be able to go onto the elevated ramps at the interchange. Guests are asked to be prepared for sunny conditions and are discouraged from bringing dogs or other pets because the pavement will get hotter as the morning moves along.

Governor Brewer will speak at a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 9 a.m.

In addition to marking the upcoming completion of the Loop 303/I-10 Interchange, the Open House and dedication also will celebrate the completion of ADOT’s recent series of projects to improve Loop 303 from an older two-lane highway to a six-lane freeway traveling north and south from Goodyear to Surprise. The projects are all part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ 20-year Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004.

ADOT postpones early opening of new ramp at I-10/Loop 303 interchange this weekend

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PHOENIX – The planned early opening of one of the ramps that will soon connect Interstate 10 and Loop 303 in the West Valley will not take place this weekend, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT has decided to postpone opening the eastbound I-10 ramp to northbound Loop 303 until overhead lighting is in place for all four of the ramps that will connect the two freeways.

Plans had called for crews to open the eastbound I-10 ramp to northbound Loop 303 ahead of schedule to reduce the amount of traffic using the construction detour route along McDowell Road and Cotton Lane.

The new ramp and three others at the I-10/Loop 303 interchange will instead open on schedule in September.

Work on the $145 million interchange connecting I-10 and Loop 303 began in November 2011.

ADOT prepares for early opening of first ramp at I-10/Loop 303 interchange in Goodyear this weekend

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adot-logo3PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation is ready to open the first of four ramps at the freeway-to-freeway traffic interchange that will connect Interstate 10 and Loop 303 in Goodyear.

The elevated ramp from eastbound I-10 to northbound Loop 303, which rises more than 70 feet above ground at its highest point, will open to traffic this weekend while crews continue their work to complete the remainder of the $145 million interchange project on schedule in September.

ADOT’s project team has been planning to open the first ramp at the interchange as soon as possible to reduce the amount of eastbound I-10 traffic, including commercial trucks, using the current Cotton Lane connection to northbound Loop 303 at Thomas Road.

When the new ramp opens, eastbound I-10 drivers will have a direct connection to northbound Loop 303, and will not have to exit at Citrus Road and use local streets, including Cotton Lane north of McDowell Road.

To allow crews to finish adding lane markings for the new ramp, eastbound I-10 will be narrowed to one lane overnight between Perryville and Citrus roads from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday (July 12). The eastbound I-10 exit ramp at Citrus Road also will be closed. Eastbound I-10 drivers should allow extra travel time while the overnight restriction is in place.

The new ramp from eastbound I-10 to northbound Loop 303 is expected to open to traffic by Saturday afternoon.

Completion of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange project by this fall will conclude ADOT’s series of five major projects that began in 2011 to improve Loop 303 into a six-lane freeway between I-10 in Goodyear and Grand Avenue (US 60) in Surprise.

The I-10 and Loop 303 improvement projects in the West Valley are funded as part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Projects are paid for with a countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation as well as the MAG region’s share of federal funds.

I-10 closed near downtown Phoenix this weekend for APS power line project

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i10-pho-ber2PHOENIX – Drivers with travel plans through the Phoenix area this weekend (May 10-11) are urged to avoid a closure of Interstate 10 in the downtown area due to an Arizona Public Service Co. power line project.

Westbound I-10 will be closed between the I-17 ‘Split’ near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Seventh Avenue while eastbound I-10 will be closed between the I-17 ‘Stack’ interchange and the Loop 202/State Route 51 interchange from 2 a.m. Saturday to 11 p.m. Sunday (May 11).

The westbound Loop 202 and southbound SR 51 ramps to westbound I-10 also will be closed.

Drivers, including those with travel plans in or out of Sky Harbor Airport, can expect heavy traffic congestion in areas approaching the I-10 closure. The Arizona Department of Transportation recommends drivers plan ahead, allow plenty of extra travel time and use alternate routes if at all possible.

I-10 traffic will be detoured to Interstate 17 south and west of the downtown area, but heavy delays can be expected.

The I-10 closure is required to allow crews working on the APS project to safely remove three older power lines and replace them with six new power lines in the area of the Seventh Street overpass. According to APS, the work will add a second circuit to the Seventh Street power-line system to meet higher electrical demands and ensure greater reliability in the Phoenix area.

The weekend of May 10-11 was selected for the closure to allow APS to get the necessary work done before much-hotter summer weather arrives and before electric power demand climbs this summer. The weekend was also chosen for the closure because the Arizona Diamondbacks will be playing out of town in Chicago.

While the APS power-line work is underway, ADOT also will have crews conducting maintenance work in and near the I-10 Deck Park Tunnel.