Plan for weekend I-17 northbound closure in north Valley

Follow posted route, not travel apps, off and on at Jomax Road

PHOENIX - Drivers planning to use northbound Interstate 17 in the north Valley this weekend should budget extra time. A pavement improvement project is taking traffic off and back on at Jomax Road and reducing the freeway to one lane until Loop 303/Sonoran Desert Drive.

The closure at Jomax Road using the off- and on-ramps and the lane restrictions are scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Friday and end by 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 12. Drivers should plan for delays, especially from morning to early afternoon Saturday and Sunday, and may want to consider traveling through the area earlier or later.

To help keep traffic moving through the work zone, Jomax Road will be closed at I-17 other than for northbound drivers exiting the freeway to turn right.

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.

ADOT offers these additional tips:

• Stay on the detour route regardless of what a navigation app may suggest. This is the best way to reduce delays for yourself and others. Avoid attempting to detour on local streets, which are not designed for large traffic volumes.
  
• ADOT will be placing local-only closures at neighborhood entrances on a number of streets near I-17 to help direct detour traffic away from local roadways. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at intersections throughout the area to assist with traffic flow.
  
• Lengthy traffic backups are unavoidable during freeway closures like this one, so drivers should plan ahead. Those with weekend plans to use northbound I-17 through the north Valley can consider traveling before Friday night's closure begins. Traffic on northbound I-17 also generally is lighter during the early morning hours or later at night and is expected to be especially busy on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Following the initial removal of an old, worn top layer of asphalt pavement along the freeway, crews have been replacing bridge deck joints and have started 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.

The I-17 pavement work between Happy Valley Road and SR 74 is separate from the I-17 Improvement Project currently underway north of Anthem Way. For more information about that larger project visit improvingi17.com. Drivers are reminded that the speed limit within that project's work zone is 65 mph.

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.