Holiday Traffic Clogs I-17 Northbound (as Usual)
UPDATE 4:30 p.m. — Northbound I-17 was moving at 5 to 10 mph late Saturday morning near Anthem as holiday traffic clogged the interstate and wrecks to the north exacerbated backups. By late afternoon traffic was moving normally.
A crash near Rock Springs blocked the left lane at Milepost 242 but was cleared before Noon. “All other delays are very heavy traffic,” ADOT said at about 11 a.m.
A late-morning vehicle fire also blocked the left lane at milepost 286, a mile south of Camp Verde.
Some northbound travelers chose to take the Daisy Mountain Drive exit at Anthem, clogging the northbound lanes of Gavilan Peak Parkway that lead to the frontage road that heads north to New River. At 11:15 a.m., cars at the Anthem Way intersection were backed up to the entrance to Community Park.
ADOT lowered speed limits 10 mph in the northbound lanes today, from New River to the Sunset Point rest area — a stretch prone to crashes. The same speed restriction will be in place for southbound travelers Monday.
