Motorists in the Phoenix metropolitan area should prepare for a series of planned closures and lane restrictions across five major freeway corridors this weekend as state transportation crews continue pavement work, widening projects and overhead sign maintenance. The Arizona Department of Transportation has laid out a weekend travel advisory that lists the shutdowns, times and suggested alternate routes that will be in effect from Friday night through early Monday morning, with some work beginning as early as Saturday morning.
Aerial view of a Phoenix freeway interchange adjacent to neighborhoods — one of the corridors affected by weekend closures and detours.
One of the largest impacts will again be on southbound State Route 51, where crews will close the roadway between Indian School Road and Interstate 10. That shutdown begins at 9 p.m. on Friday and will remain in place through 5 a.m. Monday while pavement improvement work continues. During the closure, southbound SR 51 on-ramps at Glendale Avenue, Bethany Home Road and Highland Avenue will be closed. Drivers headed to I-10 or Loop 202 from the area are advised to use surface alternatives such as Seventh Street or 24th Street to reach the east-west freeways.
A separate widening project on the east side of the Valley will prompt a full closure of eastbound Loop 202 Santan Freeway between Price Road and Arizona Avenue. That closure goes into effect at 10 p.m. Friday and is scheduled to last until 5 a.m. Monday. As part of the same project, drivers on southbound Loop 101 Price Freeway will find the ramps to eastbound Loop 202 closed. The travel advisory recommends using local arterials such as Chandler Boulevard and Germann Road to bypass the Santan Freeway work zones.
Overhead sign replacement and maintenance will shut down northbound Interstate 17 between Cactus Road and Union Hills Road beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday and continuing through 5 a.m. Monday. During that window, northbound I-17 on-ramps at Dunlap and Peoria avenues will be closed, and direct access from I-17 to east- and westbound Loop 101 will not be available. Drivers who need to continue north on I-17 through the closure area can use the northbound frontage road and re-enter the freeway at Union Hills Road; others are advised to exit before the work zone and use 19th Avenue or 35th Avenue to connect to Loop 101.
Loop 101 will face multiple, back-to-back disruptions on the Price Freeway this weekend for pavement repairs. Southbound Price Freeway will close between Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway and U.S. 60 from 9 p.m. Friday until 2 p.m. Saturday. To detour around that work, motorists can take westbound Loop 202 to southbound SR 143, or use eastbound Interstate 10 and eastbound U.S. 60 as alternate freeway routing. Almost immediately following that first closure, northbound Loop 101 Price Freeway will be shut between U.S. 60 and Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway from 9 p.m. Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday; recommended detours for the northbound closure include westbound U.S. 60 to westbound I-10, northbound SR 143 and then eastbound Loop 202.
In the northeast Valley, the Pima Freeway segment of Loop 101 will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive for pavement improvements. That narrowing begins at 10 p.m. Friday and remains in effect through 5 a.m. Monday. On- and off-ramp closures are expected at times during the project, and drivers should anticipate alternating ramp availability as crews perform targeted repairs.
The series of closures and detours are staggered in start times and durations but overlap enough that drivers who routinely traverse multiple corridors should plan extra travel time or reroute ahead of the weekend. The Arizona Department of Transportation’s weekend travel advisory contains maps and further detail for each closure and the established detours. For motorists who want alerts sent to their phones, traffic advisory services are available via text message by signing up for the traffic alert service and following the instructions provided by local traffic information providers.
Travelers encountering unexpected conditions or needing up-to-the-minute changes in closures and detours should consult the Arizona Department of Transportation’s traffic advisories before heading out. The agency’s travel advisory materials include specific ramp closure lists and suggested surface-street alternatives for each affected segment so drivers can plan their routes around the scheduled pavement work, widening efforts and sign maintenance taking place this weekend.