Expect delays this weekend on I-17 through Phoenix

Southbound Interstate 17 will be closed at Jomax Road in north Phoenix this weekend for ongoing pavement improvement work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The closure is scheduled from 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16, to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 19.

Traffic will detour along the southbound I-17 off- and on-ramps at Jomax Road. Southbound I-17 also will be narrowed to one lane between Loop 303 and Jomax Road. Drivers should allow extra time, consider traveling during non-peak morning or nighttime hours and stay on the designated detour route.

No I-17 closures are scheduled in the area over the Aug. 23-26 or Aug. 30-Sept. 3 weekends.

For this weekend’s southbound I-17 closure, ADOT offers these additional tips:

• Stay on the detour route regardless of what a navigation app may suggest. This is the best way to reduce delays for yourself and others. Avoid attempting to detour on local streets, which are not designed for large traffic volumes.

• ADOT will be placing local-only closures at neighborhood entrances on a number of streets near I-17 to help keep detouring traffic off local roadways. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at intersections throughout the area to assist with traffic flow.

• Lengthy traffic backups are unavoidable during freeway closures like this one, so drivers should plan ahead. Those with weekend plans to use southbound I-17 through the north Valley can consider traveling before Friday night’s closure begins. Traffic on southbound I-17 also generally is lighter during the early morning hours or later at night and is expected to be especially busy on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Crews are continuing a much-needed project to improve the ride on six miles of I-17 between Happy Valley Road and State Route 74. Additional I-17 closures or lane restrictions will be needed as the work proceeds. ADOT encourages drivers to sign up for project traffic alerts at azdot.gov/i-17HappyValleySR74.

Following the initial removal of an old, worn top layer of asphalt pavement along the freeway, crews have been replacing bridge deck joints and have started smoothing the freeway’s remaining concrete surface through a process called diamond grinding. Diamond grinding has been used in recent years to create a smoother and more durable road surface on a number of Phoenix-area freeways, including I-10, I-17, Loop 101 and Loop 202.

The I-17 pavement work between Happy Valley Road and SR 74 is separate from the I-17 Improvement Project currently underway north of Anthem Way. For more information about that larger project visit improvingi17.com. Drivers are reminded that the speed limit within that project’s work zone is 65 mph.

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