PHOENIX – The eastbound Loop 101 ramp to State Route 51 will be closed Thursday night, Sept. 4, to allow crews to set up a work zone.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is beginning a $3.6 million project to add a second lane to the ramp in north Phoenix, which is expected to be completed next summer.

Weather permitting, the ramp between eastbound Loop 101 and southbound SR 51 is scheduled to be closed from 10 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, state transportation officials said.

Drivers can consider exiting to southbound Cave Creek Road or Tatum Boulevard before using Union Hills Drive to reach southbound SR 51, according to ADOT.

Drivers can expect restrictions, including closures, at times on weeknights and weekends as the projects gets underway this week. In addition to creating a second lane on the eastbound Loop 101 ramp to southbound SR 51, the project also is designed to:

• Expand the eastbound Loop 101 exit leading into the ramp from one to two lanes.
• Add a new concrete barrier along a curved portion of the ramp.
• Install new overhead signs along eastbound Loop 101.
• Restore any impacted freeway landscaping in the area.

ADOT is managing the project in cooperation with the city of Phoenix and the Maricopa Association of Governments.

For more: azdot.gov/Loop101SR51RampWidening. 

We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.