On Saturday’s “Things to Do” list – check out the new Loop 303/I-10 Interchange before it opens to traffic

ADOT Photo

ADOT Photo.

PHOENIX – Saturday morning (August 16) provides an opportunity for you to get an up-close look at the soon-to-be-completed Loop 303/I-10 Traffic Interchange in Goodyear. The Arizona Department of Transportation and city of Goodyear will provide local residents and visitors with a chance to walk, jog, skate or cycle beneath the elevated ramps that will soon carry traffic between the two freeways in the West Valley.

A Loop 303 dedication event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday along the new westbound I-10 frontage road that also was built as part of the $145 million freeway-to-freeway interchange project. All ramps at the interchange are scheduled to be open to traffic by September.

Governor Jan Brewer is scheduled to be on hand for the event, along with Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, ADOT Director John Halikowski and other dignitaries.

Parking will be available on the eastbound I-10 frontage road east of Citrus Road, south of I-10, in Goodyear. Citrus Road, which is west of the new Loop 303/I-10 Interchange, can be accessed from either McDowell Road or Van Buren Street.

After parking, those attending the event will be able to walk or roll through the Cotton Lane underpass beneath I-10 and have an up-close view of the large ramps at the interchange. Local community organizations will be on hand to share information with guests.

For safety reasons, those attending the open house will not be able to go onto the elevated ramps at the interchange. Guests are asked to be prepared for sunny conditions and are discouraged from bringing dogs or other pets because the pavement will get hotter as the morning moves along.

Governor Brewer will speak at a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 9 a.m.

In addition to marking the upcoming completion of the Loop 303/I-10 Interchange, the Open House and dedication also will celebrate the completion of ADOT’s recent series of projects to improve Loop 303 from an older two-lane highway to a six-lane freeway traveling north and south from Goodyear to Surprise. The projects are all part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ 20-year Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004.