Weekend Freeway Travel Alert: Your Guide for May 16-19

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has announced significant traffic changes for the Phoenix area this weekend, May 16-19, due to improvement projects and necessary tunnel maintenance. Drivers should prepare for closures and lane restrictions, potentially impacting travel times.

Beginning Friday night, eastbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) will be closed between 59th Avenue and Interstate 17 from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. Monday. This closure is part of a sign-structure removal associated with a widening project, leading to the closure of on-ramps at Union Hills Drive, 75th Avenue, and 67th Avenue. Local streets, such as Union Hills Drive and Bell Road, can serve as detours.

On the same night, eastbound I-10 will experience closures between the I-17 Stack interchange and the State Route 51 Mini-Stack interchange from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday for scheduled tunnel maintenance. Drivers are advised to use southbound I-17 to reconnect with I-10 near Sky Harbor Airport as the primary detour.

Later in the weekend, westbound I-10 will close between the I-17 Split interchange near Sky Harbor and Seventh Avenue from 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday. The southbound SR 51 ramp to westbound I-10 will also be closed, although traffic exiting at Seventh Street will remain accessible. A northbound I-17 detour will guide westbound I-10 traffic back towards the Stack interchange north of Van Buren Street.

Additionally, the southbound State Route 143 ramps to eastbound I-10 will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday for bridge work, part of the Broadway Curve Improvement Project. Drivers seeking to access eastbound I-10 may want to travel south on 48th Street and then east on Baseline Road. Moreover, local lanes on westbound I-10 will shut down overnight from 10 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday, with detour options provided.

Drivers should also take note of the southbound I-17 off-ramp at Bell Road being closed from 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday for wall repair, with Greenway Road serving as a detour. Maintenance activities will also close the north- and southbound SR 51 off-ramps at Bethany Home Road during the same timeframe, with alternate paths available.

For those planning to travel northbound on I-17 near Black Canyon City, rest assured that the lanes are open despite some navigation apps indicating a closure. No scheduled closures are planned in that area.

Travel conditions are dynamic and may alter due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. ADOT advises checking AZ511.gov or the AZ511 app for real-time updates and further details on weekend travel restrictions.

Category: News Updates —