I-17 Closures in Phoenix into June
Sections of I-17 along an 11-mile stretch in Phoenix will close during weekends for repaving from mid-March [See Map Below] into June. The closures will begin at 9 p.m. on Fridays and are scheduled to end by 5 a.m Mondays, ADOT spokesperson Doug Nintzel told North Phoenix News.
UPDATE March 23: This weekend, March 24-27, the interstate’s southbound lanes will be closed between Glendale Avenue and Camelback Road.
“We’re asking drivers to prepare ahead of time and avoid those areas if possible by using alternate routes, including Loop 101 and State Route 51,” Nintzel said.
The northbound I-17 HOV lane also will be closed between Camelback Road and Dunlap Avenue this weekend. No left turns will be allowed from the north- and southbound off-ramps to Glendale Avenue or Bethany Home Road while crews upgrade fencing on the overpasses above the freeway.
Where the Rubber Hits the Road
The repaving is part of a $9.8 million project to replace rubberized asphalt on I-17.
“Much of this area was given an overlay of the pavement during a freeway-widening project that began in the late 1990s,” Nintzel said. “It had a nice run but it’s time to replace it.”
Rubberized asphalt includes rubber from recycled tires, “shredded down to the consistency of ground coffee, which is then melted into liquid asphalt and mixed with the aggregate to create a durable, smooth pavement,” Nintzel explained. “Most Valley freeways have one-inch thick rubberized asphalt overlays on top of the concrete base to provide a smooth and quieter ride.”
March Madness
The work will continue into early June. The interstate will be closed one direction at a time for approximately 3-mile stretches.
“Travelers can expect heavy backups and delays when I-17 traffic is detoured to the freeway’s frontage roads or, in areas without frontage roads, to 19th Avenue,” ADOT said.
No closures are slated for March 31-April 3, when the NCAA’s Final Four college basketball events are taking place, nor over the Memorial Day weekend.
This article first published on Feb. 23. It was updated March 16 to include additional detail.
