I-10 expansion near Queen Creek picks up pace

Drivers on Interstate 10 south of Chandler should expect more construction in both directions as the Arizona Department of Transportation pushes ahead with its plan to widen 26 miles of the freeway between the Valley and Casa Grande, the Queen Creek Tribune reported.

The northern segment

The segment nearest the Phoenix and Chandler area runs about 11 miles, from the Loop 202 Santan/South Mountain Freeway interchange south to the Gila River. ADOT spokeswoman Marcy McMacken told the Tribune that crews there are adding a travel lane each way plus a new high-occupancy vehicle lane from Loop 202 to Riggs Road.

The interchanges at Riggs Road, Goodyear Road and Queen Creek Road/State Route 347 are being rebuilt, a new interchange is going in at Koli Road, and the Goodyear bridge over I-10 is being rebuilt and widened.

Work on this segment started in May 2024 with new I-10 bridges over the Gila River. "These bridges are expected to be completed in late October," McMacken said.

The southern segments

A second, 10-mile segment between Gas Line Road and a point just north of Casa Grande went under construction in January. That work adds a third general-purpose lane, rebuilds the interchange at Pinal Avenue/SR 387, creates a new interchange at Seed Farm Road and widens the Gas Line Road bridge. The Dirk Lay Road bridge will be taken out.

The last piece is a 3-mile stretch from the Gila River bridges to Gas Line Road. McMacken said active construction there is expected to start in 2027 or early 2028 and wrap up in late 2029. It includes a third general-purpose lane, a rebuilt Casa Blanca Road/SR 587 interchange and a wider Nelson Road bridge.

When it is done

Once finished, I-10 will carry three lanes in each direction all the way from Phoenix to Casa Grande. "The result will be a seamless, three-lane highway between Phoenix and Tucson, increasing capacity and safety on one of Arizona's busiest stretches of highway," McMacken said.

ADOT puts the cost of the Wild Horse Pass Corridor Project at nearly $1 billion. Beyond the new lanes, it adds traffic sensors, cameras and variable message signs, wider shoulders, reconfigured ramps and crossroads, and bike and pedestrian facilities at each crossroad over the freeway. Completion is expected in late 2029. Project details are posted at i10wildhorsepasscorridor.com.

Source: Queen Creek Tribune.

Sources

queencreektribune.com