As part of the continuing progress to improve Interstate 17 in the North Valley, upcoming frontage road work may require some commuters to explore new routes, at least temporarily. It's all part of the freeway reconstruction effort, targeted for completion in 2009.
Drivers should plan for a 2-week closure of the southbound I-17 frontage road between Jomax and Happy Valley roads beginning at 4 am, Aug. 4th, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The closure will benefit drivers in the long-run since it will allow crews to finish their work ahead of schedule and re-open ramps and frontage roads on the southbound portion of the Happy Valley roundabout.
During the closure – which runs until 5 am, Aug. 19th – crews will complete improvements to the roundabout at Happy Valley Road on the west side of I-17. The project will tie in with the new I-17 ramps and frontage roads that are under construction at Happy Valley Road, which will be restricted to one lane in each direction at the west roundabout during the work.
For drivers, this closure will affect an existing detour route. Currently, southbound drivers wishing to exit I-17 for Happy Valley Road must exit at Jomax Road and continue on the southbound I-17 frontage road to Happy Valley Road. Instead, while this frontage road is closed, I-17 traffic will use the southbound off-ramp at Pinnacle Peak Road and then travel north on either I-17 or on 29th Avenue to access Happy Valley Road.
The new interchange ramps at Happy Valley Road are part of a comprehensive set of improvements under construction on I-17 north of Loop 101. The improvements – which include widening the freeway between Loop 101 & Carefree Highway (State Route 74), building new interchanges at several locations to improve access, & reconstructing the existing interchanges at Carefree Highway & Deer Valley Road – are included in the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) approved by voters in 2004.
Another RTP project, one to widen I-17 between Carefree Highway and Anthem Way, is scheduled to begin in 2009, with completion in 2010.
More information about I-17 improvements, including maps and timetables, can be found at azdot.gov/ValleyFreeways or by calling the I-17 hotline at (480) 890-3055. For a complete listing of freeway and highway restrictions across Arizona, visit ADOT’s Travel Information site or call 5-1-1.