Traffic reminder: I-10 closure continues Sunday

Motorists headed to the Valley this weekend will have to find a route other than Interstate 10.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has closed I-10 in both directions between State Route 51 and State Route 143.

MORE TRAFFIC NEWS: 3 months of lane restrictions on SR 347 to start soon

The Valley’s primary east-west freeway closed at 10 p.m. Friday and will remain closed until 4 a.m. Monday. Salt River Project crews will relocate a large overhead power line for the widening of I-10 in conjunction with the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project.

While that work is being done, Broadway Curve Constructors will shift the work zone on I-10 and make pavement repairs. Combining these projects eliminates the need for a separate highway closure and further inconvenience to motorists, according to ADOT.

ADOT recommends planning for detours and anticipating travel delays.

In addition to the freeway closure on the eastbound I-10, the eastbound I-10 on-ramps between Third and 40th streets; the southbound I-17 on-ramps at Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street; the westbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) ramp to eastbound I-10; the southbound SR 51 on-ramp at McDowell Road and the ramp from southbound SR 51 to eastbound I-10 will be closed.

ADOT is recommending that drivers detour around the closure by continuing east on the Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) to southbound Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and westbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) to rejoin eastbound I-10 east of the construction area. Drivers traveling on southbound I-17 can use westbound I-10 to eastbound Loop 202.

The agency is recommending drivers avoid westbound US 60, west of Loop 101 in Tempe, due to lane restrictions.

On westbound I-10, the on-ramps between Elliot Road and 32nd Street, the westbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) on-ramp at Mill Avenue and the westbound US 60 ramp to westbound I-10 will be closed. The recommended detour: exit I-10 onto eastbound US 60, then travel north on Loop 101 to westbound Loop 202 in order to access westbound I-10. Eastbound and westbound Loop 202 area also have alternate detour routes.

Motorists heading to the West Valley can bypass the closure by using west- and northbound Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway) and connecting with I-10 at 59th Avenue.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport traffic will be best accessed by using the east entrances from Loop 202 and SR 143. ADOT recommends allowing extra travel time for airport drop-offs and pickups and encourages travelers to download the project’s free mobile app, The Curve, for real-time traffic information and updates.