Phoenix drivers get the usual weekend reminder that the freeway system is less a transportation network than a rolling construction site with better signage. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory for Oct. 9-12, roadwork will affect several major routes across the Valley.
The biggest impacts are on Loop 101, Loop 202 and northbound State Route 51. ADOT says planned closures include eastbound Loop 101 Agua Fria Freeway between 75th Avenue and 51st Avenue, eastbound Loop 202 Santan Freeway between Arizona Avenue and Gilbert Road, and northbound SR 51 between Indian School Road and Glendale Avenue.
On Loop 101, the eastbound lanes are scheduled to close from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for a widening project. That closure also includes the eastbound ramps at Bell Road and Union Hills Drive, along with the Texas U-turn ramp near Union Hills Drive. ADOT suggests using Union Hills Drive to reach Loop 101 at 51st or 35th avenues.
Loop 202 is in the same weekend club. In Chandler, eastbound Loop 202 is scheduled to close from Arizona Avenue to Gilbert Road from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday for widening work. The closure includes the eastbound on-ramps at Price, Dobson and Alma School roads, plus the HOV ramp from southbound Loop 101 to eastbound Loop 202. ADOT says Chandler Boulevard and Germann Road are the recommended alternate routes.
Northbound SR 51 is also on the list, with a closure between Indian School Road and Glendale Avenue. And because one freeway headache apparently is never enough, overnight lane restrictions could slow traffic on SR 347 as well.
The advisory is a familiar one for anyone trying to cross the Valley on a weekend: plan ahead, expect detours and assume the shortest route may be the one ADOT has decided to make unavailable. In Phoenix, that’s not cynicism. That’s just traffic with a calendar.
Bill Farr
