Loop 303 construction will finish Interstate 10 interchange bridges near Goodyear

The gigantic, incomplete ramps at the Interstate 10/Loop 303 interchange that appear to be freeway exits to and from nowhere will soon serve their purpose.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a two-year project to finish the interchange, which will allow drivers in the Southwest Valley to access westbound I-10 from Loop 303 and make it possible for drivers heading west on I-10 to transition onto the southbound Loop 303 and into Goodyear.

To accomplish these connections, the department will extend Loop 303 to south of Van Buren Street, about a mile from its current endpoint. The new stretch of the freeway will attach to the unfinished ramps.

The additions will be a huge benefit to people trying to reach Goodyear, city traffic engineer Luke Albert said. Currently, drivers on I-10 have to exit at Citrus Road or Sarival Avenue to get into the city. The new stretch of Loop 303 will provide additional access to the city.

The completed interchange also will help the entire West Valley attract manufacturing companies looking for easy access to and from California and northern Arizona, said Sintra Hoffman, president of WESTMARC, a public-private coalition of government, business and educational entities in the West Valley.

"We've got the talent pool and now we have the infrastructure piece in terms of transportation and now it just primes us for job creation and economic development growth," Hoffman said.

Construction on the $83 million project will begin as soon as Feb. 22. ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel said construction will start along Van Buren Street as workers prepare a traffic bypass around the intersection of Van Buren Street and Cotton Lane. Initially, there will be no need for major road restrictions, Nintzel said.

Later, traffic will be diverted to the bypass while a portion of Van Buren Street is closed as crews build a bridge to carry Loop 303 over Van Buren Street, Nintzel said.

Albert said that is not a heavy traffic area and the city does not anticipate a large traffic backup because of the bypass.

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Additional road closures will happen during the project, including the eastbound and westbound I-10 frontage roads. During that time, traffic will be diverted to Citrus Road or Sarival Avenue, ADOT Assistant Communication Director Brock Barnhart told Goodyear council members Feb. 9.

Nintzel said dates of road closures and restrictions still are being established.

"Oh boy," Councilwoman Joanne Osborne said. "Sarival's a big deal."

Osborne said Goodyear residents' "patience has run thin" when it comes to backlogged traffic on Sarival Avenue. She suggested that ADOT find a way to reroute traffic to other roads whenever possible.

Osborne stressed the necessity of giving Goodyear businesses and residents advanced notice before major road closures.

RELATED: Big improvements coming to Loop 303 in Northwest Valley

"Obviously we don't want to tell businesses road closures are coming the week before," Osborne said.

Barnhart said ADOT will be working with Goodyear staff to speak with businesses directly about construction details. The department will also team with the city to make sure residents are informed through their websites and social media.

Nintzel said this project will have Loop 303 end south of Van Buren Street and allow southbound freeway traffic to continue onto Cotton Lane.

Ultimately, the freeway could be extended further south to connect to the proposed State Route 30, which would connect Perryville Road to 59th Avenue, Nintzel said, though there is no funding for that extension.

"This (interchange) is really considered a gateway to the West Valley and so we're working with the communities to prepare not only for today's traffic but for the traffic a decade down the line," Nintzel said.

Mayor Georgia Lord said that while the city and ADOT need to make sure Goodyear residents are informed during construction, the latest phase of Loop 303 construction will be worth the temporary inconveniences.

"We're excited. It's nice to see that the West Valley is starting to get an extension on 303. It says a lot and it says a lot about all of our surrounding cities and why we're important. So we're appreciative," Lord said.