Travelers of Interstate 10 in Tucson received welcome news on July 8 when the Arizona Department of Transportation announced that the largest road construction project in southern Arizona history would finish ahead of schedule by nearly seven months.

Originally slated to open in 2010, ADOT’s $200 million project to improve Interstate 10 between Prince Road and 29th Street is now expected to be completed by early September, if not sooner. It will also be finished within budget.

Cooperation Makes the Difference

 “There’s been a cooperative work attitude from the start,” Tucson District Engineer Greg Gentsch said, citing the strong partnership between ADOT, the City of Tucson, the contractors Kiewit-Sundt Joint Venture, and others, as the main reason for the job’s rapid progress.

Senior Resident Engineer Rod Lane agreed. “We could not have done it without the patience, cooperation and support of the City of Tucson, the U of A, the community at large, all the businesses impacted, and the many other partners who worked with us during construction.” The project, which began in January of 2007, has widened the freeway from three to four lanes in each direction, and added an auxiliary lane in both directions to connect the exit and entrance ramps.

Several of the ramps – all of which had been closed since June of 2007 – reopened recently with more scheduled to go live by mid August. “The minute something is available, we push the contractor to open it,” Gentsch said.
 
All remaining ramps, and all lanes of I-10 between Prince Road and 29th Street, will be up and running by mid August or early September according to Gentsch and Lane.

Overcoming Challenges

The project presented several challenges. Sixteen bridges/underpasses at seven major cross streets in downtown Tucson were demolished and reconstructed in record time. In addition to bringing the bridges up to federal standards, the new underpasses feature wider, more inviting passages beneath the freeway and appealing artwork based on community themes and local history. “It’s not just art, it’s project aesthetics,” Gentsch said.

Area residents and merchants, especially those located along the frontage roads, worried that the project would disrupt their lives and businesses. ADOT launched a comprehensive outreach program to lessen the impacts. They made sure that all businesses had normal access to frontage roads and major cross streets. Numerous signs were installed to show travelers how to get to local businesses. Project officials regularly met with merchants and community members to answer questions and share information. They also offered workshops for businesses, providing them with tips on how to be successful during the construction. Finally, ADOT worked closely with city and county staffers to minimize traffic impacts on major events such as the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase. 

What’s Next?

Lane, who has lived and breathed the project since its inception, reflected on its quick pace. “It’s pretty amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish in this amount of time.”