Drivers who frequent I-17 and Loop 303 in North Phoenix are buckling up for big construction improvements as the Arizona Department of Transportation is just getting started on a two-and-a-half year widening project with direct connections between the two freeways.
The ramp from northbound I-17 to westbound Loop 303 will be built on an elevated flyover bridge that will travel above I-17, according to plans.
Addressing growing traffic demands on both freeways and new residential and commercial plans in the area, including TSMC’s growing campus expansion south of Loop 303 adjacent to Pulte’s proposed future NorthPark master-planned community, the project aims to ease traffic and eliminate the use of Sonoran Desert Drive for on-and-off access to Loop 303.
The $129-million project calls for widening Loop 303 to three lanes in each direction between I-17 and 51st Avenue, along with direct freeway-to-freeway ramps between Interstate 17 and Loop 303. The ramp from northbound I-17 to westbound Loop 303 will be built on an elevated flyover bridge that will travel above I-17, according to plans…