The Interstate 10 Deck Park Tunnel has been dedicated to the civil engineer who managed its development along with the final segments of the Papago Freeway north of downtown Phoenix.

The dedication took place May 7 in honor of the late Dean Lindsey who worked on projects during the 1970’s and ’80s, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

“Dean Lindsey had a reputation for bringing people together during the design work that allowed I-10 and Hance Park to become realities in the downtown Phoenix area more than 30 years ago,” ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said.

“He was a key architect of the early Valley freeway program, and I’m sure he’d want to share this dedication with those who worked beside him.”

The Deck Park Tunnel, which was part of the “Final Mile” of I-10 across the country, opened to traffic in August 1990, according to an ADOT release.

“You can’t overstate the work that Dean put into the Papago Freeway,”  Bob Mickelson, ADOT chief deputy state engineer, said.

“There were times he was working seven days a week. He was wonderful with people, which was important at a time when planning that section of I-10 was politically charged.

"He was the right man to lead the planning and design processes for the tunnel project, the I-17 Stack interchange and the I-10 connections with State Route 51.” 

Lindsey began working for ADOT in 1974, retiring in 2006. He died in 2023.