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Westbound travelers on Interstate 10 south of Casa Grande will be able to use three new lanes beginning Thursday, part of a yearlong project to widen a four-mile stretch of the I-10 in Pinal County.

The new lanes start at milepost 213 and reconnect with I-10 lanes near milepost 209, the Arizona Department of Transportation said in a statement.

Crews were scheduled to shut the old westbound right lane between 9 p.m. Wednesday and 5 a.m. Thursday, to let workers connect the new lanes.

The project also will include new eastbound lanes in about a month.

The project is part of a larger ADOT effort to expand I-10 from two to three lanes in each direction between Casa Grande and Tucson by the end of 2019.

Crews began clearing ground just south of Eloy for the project in 2017. The work will also include a new interchange with State Route 87 and installation of a new dust-detection system designed to warn drivers of dangers when dust storms move through, officials said.

The system will adjust speed limits on electronic signs along the highway as hazards increase, gradually dropping speeds from 75 mph to 35 mph depending on conditions.

The project is funded through a $54 million federal grant, the Transportation Department said.

Crews are expected to finish the project by summer 2019.

In October, ADOT officials said the agency had agreed with the Gila River Indian Community to work on a study along with the Maricopa Association of Governments on possible widening I-10 south of the Phoenix area, where a 23-mile stretch crosses the reservation between the Valley and Casa Grande. That stretch is now two lanes in each direction.

The study is expected to take about 18 months to complete, officials said.

READ MORE:

  • Breaking into construction: How an ADOT program attracts women and minorities
  • ADOT sells Phoenix property for $28.7M to help fund I-10 widening
  • ADOT: Freeway technology has detected more than dozen wrong-way drivers

 

 

 

 

 

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