The Arizona Department of Transportation announced on April 23 that three major freeway closures will take place in the Phoenix metropolitan area from Friday night through Monday morning, as part of ongoing improvement projects. Drivers are advised to allow extra travel time and use designated detour routes during these restrictions.
The planned closures include northbound State Route 51 between Indian School Road and Glendale Avenue, westbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) between Interstate 17 and 51st Avenue, and eastbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) between Arizona Avenue and Gilbert Road. Each closure is scheduled to begin late Friday evening and continue until early Monday morning. Detour options have been provided for each affected route, with alternate streets suggested to help drivers navigate around the construction zones.
These improvement projects are part of the Regional Transportation Plan for Maricopa County. Most current projects receive funding from Proposition 400, a dedicated sales tax approved by voters in 2004. In November 2024, voters also passed Proposition 479 to extend this half-cent tax for future transportation improvements in the region.
Schedules may change due to weather or other factors. The department manages various facilities including rest areas, snowplow operations with specialized equipment, and highway cameras for monitoring according to the official website. ADOT aims to safely connect people across Arizona while supporting economic growth through its transportation initiatives according to the official website.
Jennifer Toth serves as director of ADOT, overseeing planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation of statewide transportation systems according to the official website. The agency’s work extends throughout Arizona with highway projects managed across multiple districts—from Grand Canyon National Airport sites to southern border ports according to the official website. Collaboration with regional partners includes corridor studies and traveler information systems according to the official website, while services such as real-time traveler updates via AZ511 are available online or by phone according to the official website.
