“Project by project, we are making substantial operational upgrades along I-10 in the Tucson metro area.”
—Steve Boschen, Assistant 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 Department of Transportation’s efforts during the year. In northern Arizona, for example, one of the many planned improvements is the Kingman I-40/US 93 interchange project. And in central Arizona, the US 93 project is more than halfway done in Wickenburg, about 60 miles from Phoenix.
Earlier this year, Granite Construction crews placed 121 beams 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 freeway for the year, and by the end of 2024, ADOT will shift traffic to a rebuilt freeway with four lanes in each direction.
The $171 million I-10 project will continue in 2025, when the rebuilt Sunset Road interchange opens. It will feature an eastbound connection to River Road with a new bridge funded by Pima County that will carry traffic over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and the Rillito River.
Throughout the project, ADOT is securing three lanes of traffic in the work zone during daytime hours and maintaining access to businesses.
“On a project-by-project basis, we’re making substantial operational upgrades along I-10 in the Tucson metro area,” says Steve Boschen, assistant state engineer for infrastructure delivery and operations. “The combination of completed interchange upgrades, new lanes and our current projects will greatly improve travel in the southern Arizona region.”
The estimated $160 million Kingman Interchange project is designed to eliminate delays for passenger and truck traffic on US 93 between Las Vegas and the Phoenix area. Although traffic must now stop at a traffic signal where Beale Street intersects with I-40, a system-to-system interchange will have ramps that allow traffic to flow freely. This interchange, which will open in 2026, should handle the traffic growth expected for the next 25 years, according to ADOT.
“The launch of the I-40 interchange reconstruction project at US 93 in Kingman will be a big step forward,” says Boschen. “Providing direct ramp connections between the two highways is something that ADOT and the Kingman community have been looking forward to for a long time. There is no question that it will improve travel between Arizona and Nevada.”
Elsewhere, FNF Construction is leading the US 93 project near Wickenburg to transform a five-mile section of the two-lane road into a four-lane divided highway. The $51 million project is expected to continue through 2024.
