A project to add new lanes and make interchange improvements along Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive/Pima Road in Scottsdale is scheduled to start in early January, according to an Arizona Department of Transportation press release.

The $108 million Loop 101 Improvement Project is scheduled to be completed in approximately two years. Crews will widen Loop 101 by one regular traffic lane in each direction within a 4.5-mile work zone.

Construction is scheduled to begin with the closure of northbound Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Princess Drive from 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 8. The first weekend closure will allow crews to remove the existing top layer of asphalt pavement and install temporary barrier walls used to set up a work zone along the freeway.

ADOT is working with the city of Scottsdale to limit restrictions during local special events, including the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament.

The new lanes will mean this stretch of Loop 101 will have four regular lanes and the existing HOV lanes in each direction. The project is the latest in a series of projects to widen approximately 35 miles of Loop 101 between Interstate 17 in north Phoenix and Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) in Chandler.

Other key elements of the project include:

*Converting the Loop 101 interchange at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard into a diamond configuration.

*Turn-lane improvements at the Shea Boulevard, Raintree Drive and Princess Drive/Pima Road interchanges.

*Retaining and sound wall construction.

*Installation of new signs, traffic signals and freeway lighting.

The Loop 101 widening project is funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. The project is scheduled under the Regional Transportation Plan managed by the Maricopa Association of Governments, which serves as the metropolitan planning organization for the Greater Phoenix region.

FNF Construction Inc. is the prime contractor on the project.

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov and via the AZ511 app (download free for Apple and Android devices). ADOT also provides highway condition updates via its Twitter/X feed, @ArizonaDOT.