Two ADOT projects have expanded capacity while enhancing safety
Contributed Article/Courtesy ADOT
TUCSON – Interstate 10 is now three lanes in each direction all the way between Tucson and Casa Grande thanks to investments by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The last 4 miles widened to six lanes is part of a $72 million project nearing completion between Eloy and Picacho. That project also has straightened the I-10 alignment in this stretch and created a new interchange with State Route 87, while work is underway to add a first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system along 10 miles between Eloy and Picacho Peak.
It complements a $43 million project that has widened 4 miles of I-10 between Earley Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande and replaced the I-10 bridges over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard to accommodate three lanes in each direction.
Final work on both of these I-10 projects is scheduled for completion later this year. Thanks to these and other ADOT investments in recent years, the 23 miles of I-10 between State Route 387 near Casa Grande and Queen Creek Road near Chandler is the only stretch between Phoenix and Tucson with two lanes in each direction.
For the remaining stretch with two lanes in each direction, ADOT is collaborating with the Maricopa Association of Governments and the Gila River Indian Community on an environmental study and a design concept report. Proposed improvements include adding a lane in each direction and improving existing interchanges. While funding for initial improvements is tentatively planned for the fiscal year 2023, the study will determine when construction could begin and establish the time frame for improvements.
For more information on the I-10 environmental study, visit i10wildhorsepasscorridor.com.
