I-17 Alert: Closures for resurfacing in Phoenix start this weekend ADOT adding new layer of rubberized asphalt to Black Canyon Freeway

PHOENIX – Southbound Interstate 17 will be closed this weekend between Dunlap and Glendale avenuesin Phoenix from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (March 20) as work starts on the resurfacing of an 11-mile stretch of the Black Canyon Freeway.

Drivers should consider alternate routes, including Loop 101 and southbound State Route 51, while the first of a series weekend closures for the I-17 paving work is in place.

Through June, crews will work on weekends to add a new layer of smooth, durable rubberized asphalt to I-17 between Dunlap Avenue in north Phoenix and 19th Avenue near the downtown area.

The resurfacing is part of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $9.8 million I-17 improvement project that started last fall with sidewalk and wheelchair ramp improvements at cross-street interchanges.

Following this first closure, plans call for weekend closures to continue along southbound I-17 before crews begin resurfacing the northbound side of the freeway.

Closures will not be scheduled on the weekend of March 31-April 3 when the NCAA’s Final Four college basketball events are taking place. I-17 also will remain open over the Memorial Day weekend in late May.

I-17 will be closed one direction at a time for approximately three-mile stretches each weekend while the rubberized asphalt paving takes place. Drivers should consider alternate routes, including State Route 51 or Loop 101, while I-17 is closed.

Travelers can expect heavy backups and delays when I-17 traffic is detoured to the freeway’s frontage roads or, in areas without frontage roads, to 19th Avenue.

Other work includes I-17 drainage improvements near Durango Street, new signs and concrete-barrier upgrades.

ADOT will provide updates on the I-17 resurfacing and scheduled closures on the agency’s website and Twitter feed (@ArizonaDOT). Sign up for email alerts by visiting azdot.gov/I17PavementPreservation.