Interstate 10 will be closed overnight Friday between Vail and Benson while crews demolish the old Pantano Union Pacific Railroad Bridge.
I-10 will be closed in both directions from 9 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
All day Friday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., there will be lane closures in both directions near the bridge so crews can get ready. The speed limit will be reduced, and you can count on traffic to back up.
You'll need to plan ahead to get where you're going before the closure. If not, you'll face a two-hour detour through Sonoita and Benson.
Don't forget to tell out-of-town visitors!
The bridge needs to be removed because tall commercial trucks can't pass under it, and the bridge is no longer used by trains.
"The project will allow more efficient travel and save money for the consumer through trucking cost reductions," ADOT's Tucson District engineer, Rod Lane, said in a statement.
For updates during the closure, call 511 to reach the ADOT Traveler Information Center.
STREETCAR UPDATES
Crews will start laying streetcar tracks on Broadway between Fifth and Church Avenues today, and some major downtown intersections will be restricted for the rest of the month.
If you're headed south on Stone, you can turn left onto eastbound Broadway, but you can't go across Broadway to continue south.
If you're headed north on Stone, you can't turn right onto eastbound Broadway.
Use Church as an alternative.
The same set of restrictions applies to Fifth. You could use Sixth Avenue instead, but expect a lot more traffic on Sixth as drivers are detoured to Sixth from Stone.
Officers will direct traffic at Broadway intersections during rush hours.
Down The Road
• The Atterbury Wash Greenway, a new three-quarter-mile path for pedestrians and cyclists that links recreation centers at Lincoln Park, is open from Escalante Road to Fred Enke Drive. Future phases will connect to The Loop, the long bicycle route encircling the city.
• The Pima Association of Governments is offering a new transportation directory at PimaFindaRide.org, including options to find rides for elderly and disabled people and others with special needs.
Road Q
Mike Kleving read a recent Road Runner column about bicycle boulevards with skepticism. "How much per mile do these bicycle boulevards cost?" he wrote.
A: Three coming projects will cost an average $100,000 per mile.
The most expensive part is the HAWK traffic signals at major crossroads, said RTA official Jim DeGrood. They typically cost $150,000 each, he said.
The money to pay for new bike boulevards comes from the voter-approved $2.1 billion RTA plan, which included a fund for bikeway and sidewalk projects.
Send your Road Q questions by email to roadrunner@azstarnet.com or to 4850 S. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85714. Please include first and last names.
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