Motorists traveling to the West Valley this weekend should allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes with a 16-hour closure of westbound Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway) planned at 59th Avenue for construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Westbound I-10 will be closed at 59th Avenue from 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. The closure will allow construction crews to pour a concrete structure, known as a straddle bent, over I-10 for the future westbound I-10 ramp connection to the South Mountain Freeway.
During the closure, westbound I-10 traffic will be able to exit at the 59th Avenue off-ramp and re-enter at the 59th Avenue on-ramp, but delays are likely through that point.
The westbound I-10 on-ramps at 43rd and 51st avenues will be closed as well to help reduce traffic backups.
To avoid delays on westbound I-10, motorists should consider alternate routes, including the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) west of Interstate 17.
The straddle bent, which is one of seven on the project, is a large horizontal concrete pier cap supported by vertical columns. Those columns, spaced far enough apart to allow for the I-10 traffic beneath the straddle bent, are used on flyover bridge structures throughout the Valley.
The 22-mile South Mountain Freeway, expected to open by late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to I-10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.
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