I was sent this "Weekend Travel Alert" at my office:
Traveler Alert: Drivers urged to plan for extra travel time this weekend while Interstate 17 is closed at Carefree Highway (State Route 74) for bridge demolition work.
Construction crews will tear down the old Carefree Highway bridge over I-17 to make room for a new, wider bridge already under construction and additional lanes on I-17. The bridge project is one part of a multi-year I-17 improvement effort by ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
To ensure the safety of the traveling public during the bridge demolition, I-17 will be closed at Carefree Highway from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (March 17). I-17 drivers will be detoured along the exit and entrance ramps at the Carefree Highway interchange.
Traffic signals will be adjusted to allow freeway traffic to travel along the interchange ramps as quickly as possible. Arizona Department of Public Safety officers will be on-site to help keep traffic moving through the intersection. However, drivers are encouraged to consider alternate routes when possible and expect heavy delays approaching the construction area.
Closure information will be available by calling 5-1-1, visiting
www.az511.gov or calling our construction hotline 480.890.3055.
The $19.6 million I-17/Carefree Highway reconstruction project will provide a modern interchange with room for additional lanes on I-17. ADOT recognizes the importance I-17 serves to connect the Valley and Northern Arizona. The Carefree Highway bridge demolition is a major milestone in the series of projects to improve I-17. Carefree Highway traffic was recently moved to the first half of the new bridge over I-17. Once the adjacent old bridge is removed this weekend, crews will build the remainder of the new Carefree Highway bridge. The entire project is scheduled for completion this fall.
Drivers can visit ADOT’s Interstate 17 Web page at
www.azdot.gov/ValleyFreeways for the times and locations of planned restrictions and closures on I-17 and to sign up for ADOT’s I-17 weekly e-mail traffic alerts and podcasts.
