(Phoenix, AZ) Freeway interchanges connecting Interstate 10 and Loop 303 in the West Valley have been completed.The Arizona Department of Transportation has now opened all four of the new ramps that allow drivers to make direct connections between I-10 and Loop 303. Three ramps were opened to traffic Sunday night, Oct. 8. Construction crews on Monday opened the fourth ramp, which connects westbound I-10 to southbound Loop 303.A new section of Loop 303 traveling under I-10 between Thomas Road and Van Buren Street in Goodyear also is open to traffic.The new connections are part of ADOT’s $64 million project to build the second phase, or “south half,” of the large interchange connecting I-10 and Loop 303. Construction on the project started in Feb. 2016.
“Our goal will always focus on improving mobility across the Phoenix region and Arizona,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “These new connections provide new options for many West Valley drivers as we look forward to other future freeway improvements that save travel time and help the region manage growing traffic needs.”
Completing the new I-10/Loop 303 ramps sets the stage for a next project to extend Loop 303 south from Van Buren Street to Maricopa County Highway 85. Construction of that project is scheduled to start in fall 2019.“This interchange continues to play a key role in economic development plans for Goodyear and other West Valley communities,” said Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord. “As a gateway to our city, it will provide for the efficient flow of people, goods and services for decades to come.”
The three new ramps that opened Sunday night provide connections from northbound Loop 303 to east- and westbound I-10 and from eastbound I-10 to southbound Loop 303. The I-10/Loop 303 south half project is funded as part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. The primary funding sources are a countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation projects as well as the Phoenix region’s share of federal transportation funds.The north half of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange opened to traffic in August 2014.