Industry News
Arizona DOT Plans Major Projects for Tucson
The Arizona DOT expects the $151-million Kingman Interchange project to greatly improve the area's traffic flow.
Photo courtesy Arizona DOT
“Project by project, we’re making substantial operational upgrades along I-10 in the metro Tucson area.”
—Steve Boschen, Deputy State Engineer for Infrastructure Delivery and Operations, ADOT
The opening of new lanes along Interstate 10 and a rebuilt interchange in Tucson by the end of 2024 is just one of the Arizona Dept. of Transportation’s efforts for the year. In northern Arizona, for example, one of many planned improvements is the I-40/U.S. 93 Kingman interchange project. And in central Arizona, the U.S. 93 project is more than halfway complete in Wickenburg, about 60 miles outside Phoenix.
Early this year Granite Construction crews placed 121 girders for nine new bridges and poured concrete for the rebuilt section of I-10 between Ina and Ruthrauff roads. Heavy construction will dominate the four-mile segment of the highway during the year and by late 2024 ADOT will shift traffic onto a reconstructed freeway with four lanes in each direction.
The $171-million I-10 project will continue into 2025, when the reconstructed Sunset Road interchange opens. It will feature an eastward connection to River Road with a new Pima County-funded bridge that will carry traffic over the Union Pacific railroad tracks and the Rillito River.
Throughout the project, ADOT is ensuring three lanes of traffic in the work zone during daytime hours and maintaining access to businesses.
“Project by project, we’re making substantial operational upgrades along I-10 in the metro Tucson area,” says Steve Boschen, deputy state engineer for infrastructure delivery and operations. “The combination of completed interchange upgrades, new lanes and our current projects will greatly enhance travel in the southern Arizona region.”
The estimated $160-million Kingman Interchange project is designed to eliminate delays for passenger and truck traffic on U.S. 93 between Las Vegas and the Phoenix area. While traffic now must stop at a traffic signal where Beale Street intersects with I-40, a system-to-system interchange will feature ramps that allow traffic to flow freely. This interchange, expected to open in 2026, should handle projected traffic growth for the next 25 years, according to ADOT.
“The launch of the I-40 traffic interchange reconstruction project at U.S. 93 in Kingman will be a big step forward,” says Boschen. “Providing direct ramp connections between the two highways is something ADOT and the Kingman community have looked forward to for quite some time. There’s no doubt it will enhance travel between Arizona and Nevada.”
Elsewhere, FNF Construction is leading the U.S. 93 project near Wickenburg to transform a five-mile section of two-lane roadway into a four-lane divided highway. The $51-million project is expected to continue through 2024.
