A project to improve the riding surface along Interstate 10 in areas west of the I-17 “Stack” interchange in the West Valley is scheduled to start this weekend (Sept. 10-13), according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Crews will remove the top layer of older, worn rubberized asphalt along sections of I-10 during a series of weekend closures this fall.

The $12-million project will start with a closure of eastbound I-10 between Avondale Boulevard and 99th Avenue from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (Sept. 13). The eastbound I-10 on-ramps at Litchfield and Dysart roads also will be closed. Drivers should consider exiting ahead of the closure and using alternate routes. Traffic exiting at Avondale Boulevard will travel south and use eastbound Van Buren Street.

This fall’s I-10 improvement work will take place in segments between I-17 and Avondale Boulevard with the exception of the area between 43rd and 67th avenues. That part of I-10 received a new layer of rubberized asphalt during construction of the Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway) interchange, which opened to traffic in late 2019.

The project also will adjust lane striping to allow the capacity of the southbound Loop 101 ramp to westbound I-10 to be expanded from one to two lanes. Lane striping and shoulder adjustments also will allow the addition of another westbound I-10 travel lane in the area between 67th Avenue and Avondale Boulevard.

After the asphalt-removal work this fall, crews will follow up starting in early 2022 to smooth the concrete pavement along I-10 by diamond grinding the surface. The diamond grinding process uses specialized machines with rotating drums containing diamond-tipped blades to remove a thin layer of a freeway’s concrete pavement while also adding small grooves to the surface. 

ADOT has also used diamond grinding on sections of Loop 101 and Loop 202 in the Phoenix area.