For drivers who plan to use southbound Interstate 17 in Phoenix this weekend, the Arizona Department of Transportation recommends they consider an alternate route to avoid roadway work.
Southbound I-17 will be closed between Thunderbird Road and Dunlap Avenue from 9 p.m. Friday (Sept. 12) to 5 a.m. Monday (Sept. 15). ADOT recommends drivers consider alternate routes this weekend and during upcoming weekends while the work continues. Drivers can use eastbound Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) to southbound State Route 51 as one option to avoid the I-17 work and the related congestion.
The $2.6 million I-17 project consists of applying a new layer of rubberized asphalt over the existing roadway. For several weekends, ADOT crews will complete asphalt paving and bridge joint repairs between Dunlap and Thunderbird to give this section of the freeway a smoother, safer surface.
ADOT crews will alternate the direction of the paving work each weekend. The planned work started last weekend and continues up to five more weekends. In addition to this weekend’s work along southbound I-17, the remaining restrictions are:
• Northbound I-17 closed between Dunlap and Thunderbird from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 22. Northbound I-17 is also scheduled to be closed during the weekend of Oct. 3-6.
• Southbound I-17 is also scheduled to be closed during the weekends of Sept. 26-29 and Oct. 10-13.
During each closure I-17 traffic will be detoured along the freeway frontage roads. Drivers should also consider other freeways as alternate routes, in addition to 19th and 35th avenues.
After nearly 10 years of use, the one-inch overlay of rubberized asphalt along this section of I-17 is the first to have a scheduled replacement. Arizona was among the first states to work with the Federal Highway Administration in starting a Quiet Pavement Pilot Program. For every lane-mile of rubberized paving, approximately 1,500 used tires are used, keeping them out of landfills.
File photo
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