An eight-mile stretch of Interstate 10 in the West Valley has been widened to three lanes in both directions.

The Arizona Department of Transportation made the announcement Thursday morning, saying the West Valley “improvement project moves into the homestretch.”

ADOT’s ongoing $82 million project has widened I-10 by one lane in both directions between Verrado Way and State Route 85.

“The new lanes are designed to improve safety and overall traffic flow for local drivers in Buckeye and motorists on longer trips in or out of the West Valley,” ADOT officials said in a release.

Weeknight and weekend lane restrictions are still planned while crews take care of final work on the project over the next several weeks. Construction on the two-year project started in July 2021.

In addition to the new lanes, the project includes building freeway bridges and reconstructing ramps connecting I-10 with SR 85. Crews also modernized the interchanges at Watson and Miller roads by rebuilding them using the diverging diamond design, according to ADOT.

The I-10 project in Buckeye is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan. It is funded in part by Prop 400, a dedicated sales tax for transportation improvements approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004.