Drivers should allow extra time, consider early morning or nighttime travel

PHOENIX - Northbound Interstate 17 will be narrowed to one lane between Loop 303 and State Route 74in north Phoenix from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 20-23, for ongoing pavement improvement work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The northbound I-17 off- and on-ramps at Dove Valley Road will be closed this weekend. Drivers can access Dove Valley Road by exiting at Loop 303 and continuing north on the frontage road. The northbound I-17 circular ramp to westbound SR 74 will be closed during nighttime hours.

Drivers should allow extra time, consider traveling during non-peak morning or nighttime hours. Motorists also should avoid using local streets east of I-17 as alternate routes because those roadways are not designed for heavier freeway traffic.

Future weekend restrictions for this project are currently scheduled as follows:

• Northbound I-17 also narrowed to one lane between Loop 303 and SR 74/Carefree Highway from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30.
• Southbound I-17 is scheduled to be closed at Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 7. Southbound I-17 will be narrowed to one lane between SR 74 and Loop 303. Detour: Traffic will detour along the off- and on-ramps at Loop 303.
• Southbound I-17 is scheduled to be closed at Loop 303 and then narrowed to one lane to Jomax Road from 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, to 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 14. Detour: Traffic will detour along the off- and on-ramps at Loop 303.

Crews are continuing a much-needed project to improve the ride on 6 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 are 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.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT's Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, the AZ511 app (download for Appleor Androiddevices) or by calling 511.