Girders Go On For New I-10, Sr 87 Interchange
Eloy’s new interchange at Interstate 10 and State Route 87 is taking shape. Arizona Department of Transportation crews placed 45,000-lb. girders that will form the deck of the SR 87 bridge, according to an ADOT press release.
“The new interchange will be located just north of the current alignment of SR 87 and will carry the road over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as well as new lanes of I-10 to connect with Phillips Road on the other side of the freeway,” stated the release.
The work is part of a project to make I-10 traffic flow more safely in Pinal County. Crews are building four miles of new interstate lanes that will widen I-10 in the area to six lanes between mileposts 209 and 213.
ADOT reports that “This fall, crews will begin creating a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone designed to identify dust storms in the area and provide drivers with information to make safe decisions.”
A second ADOT team is widening I-10 to six lanes north of Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, including new bridges and a new interchange at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard. When both projects are completed by late summer or early fall in 2019, I-10 will be a six-lane freeway from Casa Grande to Tucson.
STATEWIDE ROAD PROJECTS – Approved for 2019-2023
“A major freight corridor in Southern Arizona that moves trucks to and from Mexico for produce and other goods will undergo a full build-out of improvements over the next few years,” according to an Arizona Department of Transportation press release.
Other major expansion projects along key commerce corridors including Interstate 17 and US 93, along with SR 260, were also approved by the state transportation board as part of the annual update to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program.
“ADOT’s mission is to provide reliable infrastructure to help move people, goods and services, generate commerce and economic activity, and connect major freight and travel corridors,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said.
Major projects slated for Central to Southern Arizona:
- State Route 189, Nogales to Interstate 19: Improvements along SR 189 to ensure international commerce can efficiently and safely travel between Arizona and Mexico at the Mariposa Port of Entry, one of the busiest land ports in the United States.
- Interstate 17: Anthem to the Sunset Point rest area: Widening of I-17
- US 93: “The Gap” Tegner Drive to SR 89: This project will widen a 3-mile stretch of US 93 near Wickenburg to a four-lane divided highway.
- Interstate 10: Ina Road to Ruthrauff Road: $109 million allocated from FY 2020 to FY 2022 to widen the freeway between Ina and Ruthrauff roads.
- Interstate 10: Ruthrauff Road traffic interchange: $102 million allocated from FY 2019 to FY 2021 for this reconstruction project.
- Interstate 10: Houghton Road traffic interchange: $46 million allocated from FY 2019 to FY 2021 for this construction project.
- Interstate 19: Ajo Way traffic interchange: $36 million is allocated in FY 2019 for the second phase of this reconstruction project.
- Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway: The 22-mile freeway, which is currently under construction, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley.
- Interstate 10 (Maricopa Freeway): I-17 Split to the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler: This project will widen the mainline and includes improvements at the Broadway Curve to help traffic flow more efficiently.
- Loop 101 Pima Freeway: Interstate 17 to Pima Road/Princess Drive: Construction of a general purpose lane in each direction, along with modifying freeway ramps and frontage road connections at 10 interchanges.
- Loop 303 Study: Interstate 10 to proposed SR 30: Construction of a new freeway, new bridges and other improvements, once the environmental study process is complete and a final decision is made by the Federal Highway Administration.
A complete list is at azdot.gov/fiveyearprogram.
