TUCSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) met a big milestone Friday as the agency opened Ruthrauff Road across I-10.
As of right now, it is just one lane in each direction, but in the coming months, ADOT will open fully open the road and all of the ramp connections to I-10.
“This is a modern interchange that’s a big step up from the old configuration. Traffic will now be flowing, not only over I-10 but also over the Union Pacific railroad tracks,” said Garin Groff, an ADOT Spokesperson.
Groff says that will make commuting through this area more efficient and safer for drivers. This project started January 2020 and is scheduled to fully wrap up by the end of this year, with every ramp opened up by then.
“We’re on schedule. This is a $129M project. It’s one of the larger investments ADOT has made along the I-10 corridor in the last several years,” said Groff.
And since the start of this project, detours through Prince Road and Orange Grove Road were made available for drivers to reach I-10. But now they can bypass that and the railroad tracks.
“Southeast Tucson is one of the fastest-growing parts of the metro region. The existing two-lane configuration really had reached its limit. That’s why we’re opening this six-lane facility that will be able to handle traffic for decades to come,” said Groff.
He says that area of Tucson is expected to see about a 50-percent increase in traffic in the next 20 years.
ADOT’s other major projects underway:
- I-10 and Houghton Road is getting a new interchange that should be completed later this year, and
- SR-77 is getting repaved starting this Sunday between Magee and Calle Concordia.
