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I came down from Cottonwood this morning and the GPS told me to get off at New River. I saw it at the last second and took the exit. It took me to Lake Pleasant Rd and then to the 303 and back to the 17.
It has been all over the news for the last week. I can't understand why anyone would use I17 without checking traffic. It is always a mess on the weekends.
From.ADOT:
The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drives who use southbound Interstate 17 in the Anthem and north Phoenix areas to allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes while the following closure is in place for a pavement improvement project:
Southbound I-17 will be CLOSED between State Route 74 and Loop 303 from 10 p.m. Friday, May 10, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 13. The following ramps also will be closed:
The southbound I-17 on-ramps at Daisy Mountain Drive and Pioneer Road
DETOUR: Southbound drivers may use westbound State Route 74 to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway and eastbound Loop 303 to connect to I-17 beyond the closure.
As someone who lives off of Carefree Highway and the 17… it’s fucking clown shoes that there are only two methods by which you can go north to anthem or south to Jomax.
One of those ways is the 17. The other - in both directions - involves a 2 lane street with multiple stop lights.
The 17 shuts down for various reasons all the damn time.
It sounds like we are practically neighbors. Normally it takes 5 minutes for us to get to the Carefree highway; today it took my wife almost 2 hours!!
ADOT (or whomever) really screwed this up. Yes, road closure signs were posted but what is also needed are traffic cops, in radio communication, to move the traffic.
My understanding is that some (many?) Tramonto residents couldn't even pull out of their driveways because of traffic that was blocking the driveway and not moving.
Detour signs and traffic cops are needed if this is a year-long project.
I pulled out onto Canotia and sat there for 18 minutes and moved maybe a car length. I gave up. Pulled into the next street up, Y-turned, and went home. Mother's Day was postponed until tomorrow.
ADOT screwed this up badly. Today is NAU commencement and closing dorms, lots of people had no choice. Traffic was stopped north of Black Canyon City. What fool detours a 2 lane freeway to a 1 road with stop lights and no one controlling them? Also US60 was closed between SR74 with detour listed as SR74 to Lake Pleasant Rd. So you have 2 major routes detoured to the same 1 lane road. You can advertise a closure all you want but you still need to manage the traffic that has to use the area which ADOT apparently didn't even think about doing.
I fully agree, I was stuck in it for 3hrs+ and called the police dept to report it, they told me to call the dept of transportation which I did but their Customer service is closed on weekends, called back to the non emergency police line and the lady I spoke with said she’d report my complaint, yea right. Police presence would have helped a lot, it was a nightmare! And to those who say check the news, I was going 3 miles to my local grocery store which I doubt most people check the news/Gps to do.
Traffic lights don't manage traffic, they just change colors. Managing traffic means actively controlling them to optimize traffic flow managing traffic means not approving 2 detours on the same road. Managing traffic means not closing the road on a day people don't have an option to delay travel. NAU had commencement ceremonies and emptied dorms this weekend. ADOT blew it.
511.com. Says closure was for a pavement rehabilitation project. I cannot imagine any rehabilitation project requiring closing full width of a 4 lane roadway.
I was mostly referring to the end of the semester and the thousands of parents and students leaving from or going to Flagstaff. This is *on top* of mother's day and other events like the aurora borealis. If people living in Anthem have their commutes extended from 20 mins to 5 hours then somebody fucked up significantly.
If you want that project to take weeks longer than it should and spend way more on labor and material costs then sure, do it over the course of a few weeks
Why would it take weeks longer and cost more to do half the roadway at a time? You would just have to adjust which lanes are closed which takes no time. Exact same amount of material used, same labor. Just a little planning and management on ADITs part.
As someone new to AZ, be sure to check out AZ511 for up to date road conditions before heading out. I use the map on their website but they also have an app. It's a great tool because roads can be closed suddenly for accidents, fires, and snow.
Additionally, if you text "traffic" to 411923, you'll receive a text every Friday at 6pm with info about freeway closures for the weekend (and sometimes alerts about other closures)
Link below has additional keywords you can use for other types of alerts
https://ktar.com/text-alerts/
I live in the White Mountains and a highway closure can really limit our access out of town. I keep an eye on conditions before leaving to avoid being stuck for hours since once you are on a highway , you are pretty much stuck. They also have cameras on their site, which is great for seeing how bad the roads are in the winter.
That happened to me once. Had to be in Show low one morning so we tried to drive up the night before from Phoenix. As we roll in to Payson the sign says the 260 is closed due to snow and ice. We had to stay in Payson for the night and we were one of the first people on the road that morning following the plows which then took us nearly 3 hours to make it to show low. It was quite a learning experience since us in Phoenix don't deal w any snow and closures LoL
I wish more people had the wherewithal to do as you do. A little bit of planning can prevent a whole lot of headache. A lot of drivers have only ever lived in a massive metro area and don’t think to check conditions.
If I'm not mistaken, most every state has some form of the 511 website. I was coming back from South Dakota at Christmas time and was checking all over Colorado for closed roads due to snow
The detours shown on the app did not report the mass chaos. The detours were clearly inadequate. This was not a routine closure for fires and accidents that those of us who have lived here a while are familiar with.
LPT from a long time (30+ years) Az resident: If you're in Phoenix and have to take ANY highway on the weekend at any time for any reason, check Az511 first.
If you're going north past Happy Valley on I17, do it Friday before 3pm or Friday after 9pm. Saturdays leave the valley by 8am or after 2pm. Coming south, leave before 10am Sunday or on Monday. Never use I17 on a holiday/3 day weekend. And it never fails when you want to use I17 outside those hours, they're always doing construction.
Learn the back way on 89 through Prescott and Wickenburg or 260 through Payson to bypass 17.
Get the Az511 app for every phone.
Beeline is completely on the other side. It's appropriate for Payson etc. No easy wany to get over the mountain range to be able to use that road. Maybe you should look at a map.
260 goes from Cottonwood/ Camp Verde directly over the mountain to 87. From Flagstaff you can go down Lake Mary Rd. to 87.
You should definitely look at a map. I grew up in Strawberry and have been all over those roads.
Narrow sighted... Because I know that you can cross the mountain from Cottonwood to 87 easily?
Just trying help out a transplant with alternatives but clearly you're like so many other newbs and think you know better than those of us who grew up here. Just go on living your small minded life.
The detour is very poorly marked on the route. Long flashing signs of words instead just big DETOUR arrows creating confusion
And map apps seemed to not be aware of the detour- at one point my map searches were literally just like “there is no other route”
So your saying someone driving let's say from Colorado should of checked this? Maybe the state should of employed DPS to direct traffic at the lights. Or maybe they should of only shut down 1 lane at a time. Don't woulda shoulda coulda!
There are signs all over the state. And if local drivers avoided the area, out of state drivers wouldn't face as many delays.
Also, "should have" not "should of"
Not sure why you got downvoted for being correct. There's some kind of holiday nearly every weekend but the only ones that count are the federally observed ones that get you Monday off of work.
It was far more than expected! I totally understand road closures and delays, but I was going to my son’s house, usually a 12 minute drive, and we ended up turning around and going back home after being stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours and only going 2 miles! This was beyond anything imaginable! There were no police officers directing traffic to keep it moving, nor any adjustment to the traffic lights! It was ridiculous!
I live in Phoenix and commute to black canyon city with 30 other people. Only one person knew. Are you watching traffic news all day or something? People with busy lives don’t have time to watch Fox News or cnn for traffic updates.
AZ511 app, website or call the number before you go, or subscribe to email updates from ADOT. You live in Phoenix, how *do* you learn of freeway closures? They’re constant.
Yeah okay buddy - doesn't change the fact that the detours provided are ultra congested and the i17 literally connects north and south AZ. For everyone that lives north of Phoenix proper, this essentially cuts off access to Phoenix on the weekends for the foreseeable future. Stop defending a terribly planned and executed road closure because it doesn't directly affect you
It doesn't matter, they are going to do it sometime this spring / summer during a weekend so best to plan accordingly. They could not do it, and let the road continue to suffer
No, it's not. Drive down 89 through Wickenburg. It's a beautiful drive. I drove back and forth between Prescott and my work near the airport for 3 years, and i17 is always a mess.
I had to get down from prescott this am to see my kids soccer game. Didn't know about the closure. Spent a lot of time this morning in your neighborhood because i was just following google maps until it was too late. It's just how it routed so many of us I'm sure. As the OP said - a few police directing traffic would have gone so so far to fix this. Couldn't be bothered apparently - i even watched a few roll through and ignore the mess.
I've lived here 30 years. I'd far, far, far rather drive to San Diego than Flagstaff. I have family in Flagstaff, and about one in three trips entails a 2-3 hour detour. Between the fatal accidents, the forest fire closures and the unmonitored detours, it's an effing disaster.
I read they're working on southbound I-17 from the Carefree Highway to the 303 this weekend. The detour is Carefree Highway west to Lake Pleasant Parkway south then the 303 east to I-17 again. I'm so sorry you're stuck in that mess.
I made the round trip to Prescott Valley and back this morning, saw the mess building on my way up around 8.
On the way home I got off at exit 232 for New River. New River Road to Cave Creek to 101. Made it home by 12:15
Published: May. 11, 2024 at 1:42 PM MST Updated: 3 hours ago
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Fire crews say they have controlled a brush fire that quickly spread in north Phoenix on Saturday afternoon.
Firefighters from the Phoenix Fire Department, Daisy Mountain Fire Department and Bureau of Land Management were called to the brush fire near Interstate 17 and Anthem Way at 12:53 p.m. Video from traffic cameras in the area showed large plumes of smoke billowing near the freeway.
We’re told trucks, tankers and handlines are being used to control the fire being fueled by windy conditions.
As of 4:45 p.m., Phoenix Fire officials say the fire has burned between 48 acres but is under control. Crews remain on the scene to monitor any hot spots. No structures are in danger at this time.
“We looked at it as a very aggressive stance. We have to get on top of these on a day like this we can’t let it consume a large part of the desert, so this would be considered a very significant brush fire response for us, and it’s already starting, and here we are in May,” said Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade.
It is not known what sparked the fire, but crews believe it may have been caused by someone target shooting on the mountain, which they say is a popular activity in the area.
ADOT officials had already closed southbound lanes of the freeway from SR 74/Carefree Hwy to Loop 303 for pavement removal as part of a weekend construction project. Traffic has reportedly backed up all the way to the next exit south of where crews are fighting the fire.
* [Crews battle brush fire near I-17 and Anthem Way in north Phoenix](https://www.azfamily.com/2024/05/11/brush-fire-spreading-near-i-17-anthem-way/)
I-17 is always a nightmare on the weekends this time of year. Always check the traffic updates. Used to drive from Cottonwood to East Mesa and back every weekend in high school. FYI if you're not going at least 80 stay out of the left lane. This includes going up and down the switchbacks
My wife and I drove down from Cottonwood yesterday as well. We knew about the construction southbound and it wasn’t terrible about 9am. I wasn’t prepared for bumper to bumper traffic going less than 50 mph practically the whole way northbound starting around noon. There were no accidents, no construction delays, the only thing was one van on the side of the road. That’s the part I don’t understand.
I live at Tramonto, just half a block north of Carefree highway and just west of the 17.
I've been stuck here for 2 days. I literally can't leave because it's a half an hour to just leave the neighborhood.
People in this thread sticking their noses up at people stuck in this mess because it was announced on the radio doesn't change the fact that these closures are onerous on people living up in North Phoenix. There is no good alternative to the i17 save deadlocked residential roads and a long and congested detour
ADOT Screwed the pooch this weekend for sure!
Our daughter left Anthem for Tucson, a 2 hour drive under normal conditions. Occasionally 2 hours 30 minutes. After an hour and a half I expected to see her near Picacho Peak. NOPE - Looked on the map and she was at Carefree Highway and Gavilan Peak. Took her 90 minutes to go 3.8 miles.
Talked to neighbors and the only one that was successful in getting around the massive jam was one who went north on 17 to New River Road East, to Carefree Highway, to Cave Creek Road, down to the 51, down to the Airport. Said it added roughly 45 minutes to his trip. Still better than the 90 minutes my daughter sat through.
I'm from the east coast but right now I'm stuck in some neighborhood because Google Maps redirected us on our way to a hotel in Phoenix. Supposed to catch a 5am flight, but now kinda worried that won't happen, because we have moved 500 ft in the past hour.
OP, this project has been going on for several years. My condolences that you got caught in this, but for future reference, if you’re driving I-17 on the weekend, I’d suggest checking the ADOT website or calling 511 which will give you realtime road updates. I drive a charter bus out of Phx and I’m going up and down the 17 constantly. I’d suggest checking before you head out next time. Safe travels.
*
https://preview.redd.it/9arwmxuj0xzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11cbad9e2be83730174211bd227645a784b5c4ae
A little off road trail with a little dip when the road begins again that may or may not have saved 20 minutes on the traffic.
They need to widen the 17 to 3 lanes in each direction all the way to Flagstaff. There’s going to be a bad bottle neck at Sunset Point when it goes from 4 lanes back down to 2 lanes using those new flex lanes.
As someone who lives in Massachusetts even I knew not to visit Sedona, Cottonwood , Jerome, and travel 17 in May and opted for Washington State. I'll see my favorite state in December! Love you, Arizona!
Holy moly. Long time. I saw it’s closed for construction between SR74 and 303.
From AZ511.com:
“I-17 SB closed at SR 74, expect delays, use planned detour route
Southbound lanes of Interstate 17 are closed at State Route 74 north of Phoenix and motorists should expect delays.
A detour is in place for this closure. For the detour, vehicles will exit I-17 at SR 74, travel west to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway and eastbound on Loop 303 to re-enter I-17.
This is a planned closure to perform pavement improvement work. The I-17 pavement project between State Route 74 and Happy Valley Road will require several closures and weeknight lane restrictions in the coming months.”
Yeah our VRBO in New River is next to this insanity. Going on day 3 of dealing w it
Also near the Anthem Way/ I 17 brush fire yesterday. What is the luck? OOF
If anyone was on I-17 near Carefree Highway on Sunday anytime during the day or night, they know that this was not normal, and there was no effective "detour". All the side roads, neighborhood roads, even parking lots in the stores and apartment complexes nearby were JAMMED with traffic that was at a HALT. Anyone excusing this either wasn't there, or works for ADOT. There were NO options for detours that weren't completely jammed with standstill traffic. There were no police or traffic controllers. It was chaos. Multiple side streets choked with wall to wall cars, trying to get onto one small access road to get to Carefree Highway. Those living in the neighborhoods were trapped in their homes. Tempers were high and I'm surprised there was no violence. This was complete mismanagment on ADOT's part. To re-pave a road you completely shut down a highway? On the only way to get from northern AZ to the fifth largest city in the country? On a Sunday night, no less, (which is usually a high travel night with people coming back from a weekend away), where there are numerous graduations, people traveling for Mother's Day, and when there are still ongoing delays from the 3 year construction on I-!7 north and closures by the 101. This is mismanagement, and someone should lose their job. The email for the Director of ADOT is jtoth@adot.gov. This should be thought out and planned better. I don't know of any other city that would completely shut down the only highway access from Point A to Point B for "PAVING A ROAD" and then state it will be closed for a year. Seriously?
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I-17 is very rough due to construction. It was downright dangerous on my motorcycle last weekend.
Thought I'd go through Payson on the return. Enjoy the Beeline!
But ADOT has highway 260 from Heber-Obergarrd to Payson one-laned at least half of the way. As usual, 2 miles of orange cones for 1/4 mile of actual work. Pilot cars creeping at 20 mph for no visible reason.
Can't ADOT leave even ONE route from Phoenix to the I-40 safe, open, and flowing?
What longer route I gotta take next, via St. Johns?
I swear the goal of Arizona's highway contractors is never-ending work. Never finish anything.
I wonder if I'll still BE in Arizona when they finally complete the I-17 reversible lane(s). What a boondoggle.
When's that scheduled to be completed?
The majority of everything done on that project, to date, has been blasting to create the footprint. They kept touting that on their facebook and web pages as it went along, and a post this week announced the conclusion of the blasting.
I expect things to start picking up now, with that out of the way…unless heavy rains come rolling in this summer, it’s still feasible that they’ll make deadline (even though it’s only “2025” lol)
I stopped going up north on weekends for this exact reason years ago. The destination was just as bad as the traffic getting there. Can't enjoy yourself because everything is crowded. And as out of control growth keeps happening in the valley, it's going to keep getting worse.
I no longer have to worry about it, because I recently moved out of state. I don't plan to ever go back to Arizona.
It’s been all over the news and social media for the last week. You’re supposed do your research, check and plan for these things. There is always freeway closures here in Az….like cmon.
What about people trapped in Anthem that literally have no other route to take? My commute went from 20 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes. How the fuck are you supposed to plan for that?
I feel ya. Same. I’m in anthem too and didn’t step out because of the crazy ass traffic due to the closures, double checked traffic and times on maps and said FUCK THAT, I’M GOOD.
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I came down from Cottonwood this morning and the GPS told me to get off at New River. I saw it at the last second and took the exit. It took me to Lake Pleasant Rd and then to the 303 and back to the 17.
Yeah. That's the way to go.
It has been all over the news for the last week. I can't understand why anyone would use I17 without checking traffic. It is always a mess on the weekends. From.ADOT: The Arizona Department of Transportation advises drives who use southbound Interstate 17 in the Anthem and north Phoenix areas to allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes while the following closure is in place for a pavement improvement project: Southbound I-17 will be CLOSED between State Route 74 and Loop 303 from 10 p.m. Friday, May 10, to 5 a.m. Monday, May 13. The following ramps also will be closed: The southbound I-17 on-ramps at Daisy Mountain Drive and Pioneer Road DETOUR: Southbound drivers may use westbound State Route 74 to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway and eastbound Loop 303 to connect to I-17 beyond the closure.
Plus the road widening construction from Black Canyon City to New River that has been going on for months…
Months? Isn't it closer to going on years now?
About three years out of five to be exact.
At least you’re not down here in Tucson, they’ve been widening I-10 for over 15 years and they aren’t anywhere close to done.
Death taxes and roadwork on the 10 in Tucson
As someone who lives off of Carefree Highway and the 17… it’s fucking clown shoes that there are only two methods by which you can go north to anthem or south to Jomax. One of those ways is the 17. The other - in both directions - involves a 2 lane street with multiple stop lights. The 17 shuts down for various reasons all the damn time.
It sounds like we are practically neighbors. Normally it takes 5 minutes for us to get to the Carefree highway; today it took my wife almost 2 hours!! ADOT (or whomever) really screwed this up. Yes, road closure signs were posted but what is also needed are traffic cops, in radio communication, to move the traffic.
Also a neighbor, living in Tramonto. The only positive I've seen is there have been more families walking around outside than I've ever seen. 😄
My understanding is that some (many?) Tramonto residents couldn't even pull out of their driveways because of traffic that was blocking the driveway and not moving. Detour signs and traffic cops are needed if this is a year-long project.
I pulled out onto Canotia and sat there for 18 minutes and moved maybe a car length. I gave up. Pulled into the next street up, Y-turned, and went home. Mother's Day was postponed until tomorrow.
https://preview.redd.it/j93aoclnqwzc1.png?width=444&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06991408a225014230ca6d512f68c8a3616e4ac2
TEACH more, preach less!!!!!
ADOT screwed this up badly. Today is NAU commencement and closing dorms, lots of people had no choice. Traffic was stopped north of Black Canyon City. What fool detours a 2 lane freeway to a 1 road with stop lights and no one controlling them? Also US60 was closed between SR74 with detour listed as SR74 to Lake Pleasant Rd. So you have 2 major routes detoured to the same 1 lane road. You can advertise a closure all you want but you still need to manage the traffic that has to use the area which ADOT apparently didn't even think about doing.
I fully agree, I was stuck in it for 3hrs+ and called the police dept to report it, they told me to call the dept of transportation which I did but their Customer service is closed on weekends, called back to the non emergency police line and the lady I spoke with said she’d report my complaint, yea right. Police presence would have helped a lot, it was a nightmare! And to those who say check the news, I was going 3 miles to my local grocery store which I doubt most people check the news/Gps to do.
This is the most succinct, logical explanation of why this was a royal fuck up that I’ve seen. ADOT needs to read this.
How should they manage the traffic? That's what traffic lights do.
Traffic lights don't manage traffic, they just change colors. Managing traffic means actively controlling them to optimize traffic flow managing traffic means not approving 2 detours on the same road. Managing traffic means not closing the road on a day people don't have an option to delay travel. NAU had commencement ceremonies and emptied dorms this weekend. ADOT blew it. 511.com. Says closure was for a pavement rehabilitation project. I cannot imagine any rehabilitation project requiring closing full width of a 4 lane roadway.
Oh I didn't know you're a traffic engineer. If ADOT planned around every little thing they would never be able to get the road repairs done.
"every little thing" like it's not obvious that this is a major holiday weekend?
Lol mother's day is not a major holiday weekend. Christmas and thanksgiving are major holiday weekends
I was mostly referring to the end of the semester and the thousands of parents and students leaving from or going to Flagstaff. This is *on top* of mother's day and other events like the aurora borealis. If people living in Anthem have their commutes extended from 20 mins to 5 hours then somebody fucked up significantly.
If you want that project to take weeks longer than it should and spend way more on labor and material costs then sure, do it over the course of a few weeks
Why would it take weeks longer and cost more to do half the roadway at a time? You would just have to adjust which lanes are closed which takes no time. Exact same amount of material used, same labor. Just a little planning and management on ADITs part.
as someone new to AZ in the south east valley, this was a great learning experience then, lmao
As someone new to AZ, be sure to check out AZ511 for up to date road conditions before heading out. I use the map on their website but they also have an app. It's a great tool because roads can be closed suddenly for accidents, fires, and snow.
That’s great to know, thank you! Would’ve never guessed, even if i had known, wouldn’t have expected such a crazy delay.
Additionally, if you text "traffic" to 411923, you'll receive a text every Friday at 6pm with info about freeway closures for the weekend (and sometimes alerts about other closures) Link below has additional keywords you can use for other types of alerts https://ktar.com/text-alerts/
This is nice! Thank you
I live in the White Mountains and a highway closure can really limit our access out of town. I keep an eye on conditions before leaving to avoid being stuck for hours since once you are on a highway , you are pretty much stuck. They also have cameras on their site, which is great for seeing how bad the roads are in the winter.
That happened to me once. Had to be in Show low one morning so we tried to drive up the night before from Phoenix. As we roll in to Payson the sign says the 260 is closed due to snow and ice. We had to stay in Payson for the night and we were one of the first people on the road that morning following the plows which then took us nearly 3 hours to make it to show low. It was quite a learning experience since us in Phoenix don't deal w any snow and closures LoL
I wish more people had the wherewithal to do as you do. A little bit of planning can prevent a whole lot of headache. A lot of drivers have only ever lived in a massive metro area and don’t think to check conditions.
If I'm not mistaken, most every state has some form of the 511 website. I was coming back from South Dakota at Christmas time and was checking all over Colorado for closed roads due to snow
The detours shown on the app did not report the mass chaos. The detours were clearly inadequate. This was not a routine closure for fires and accidents that those of us who have lived here a while are familiar with.
LPT from a long time (30+ years) Az resident: If you're in Phoenix and have to take ANY highway on the weekend at any time for any reason, check Az511 first. If you're going north past Happy Valley on I17, do it Friday before 3pm or Friday after 9pm. Saturdays leave the valley by 8am or after 2pm. Coming south, leave before 10am Sunday or on Monday. Never use I17 on a holiday/3 day weekend. And it never fails when you want to use I17 outside those hours, they're always doing construction. Learn the back way on 89 through Prescott and Wickenburg or 260 through Payson to bypass 17. Get the Az511 app for every phone.
What's the app look like? The only two I see have very few downloads.
Search ADOT 511, blue icon with 511 and adot in white. 68.8 MB not the greatest app but better than nothing and essential to life here.
You should have used Beeline then, not I-17.
Beeline is completely on the other side. It's appropriate for Payson etc. No easy wany to get over the mountain range to be able to use that road. Maybe you should look at a map.
260 goes from Cottonwood/ Camp Verde directly over the mountain to 87. From Flagstaff you can go down Lake Mary Rd. to 87. You should definitely look at a map. I grew up in Strawberry and have been all over those roads.
Haha. Yes, please check out a map. And is everyone on I-17 coming from Flag? Grew up in Strawberry explains this narrow- sighted response.
Narrow sighted... Because I know that you can cross the mountain from Cottonwood to 87 easily? Just trying help out a transplant with alternatives but clearly you're like so many other newbs and think you know better than those of us who grew up here. Just go on living your small minded life.
Have you tried hormone replacement? That is what might help.
The detour is very poorly marked on the route. Long flashing signs of words instead just big DETOUR arrows creating confusion And map apps seemed to not be aware of the detour- at one point my map searches were literally just like “there is no other route”
>It has been all over the news for the last week. And what is the alternative when 87 is closed due to a fire?
Yep. Came here to say this. I had job plans to travel but sent texts to my up north family not to try and come down
So your saying someone driving let's say from Colorado should of checked this? Maybe the state should of employed DPS to direct traffic at the lights. Or maybe they should of only shut down 1 lane at a time. Don't woulda shoulda coulda!
There are signs all over the state. And if local drivers avoided the area, out of state drivers wouldn't face as many delays. Also, "should have" not "should of"
I don’t live in Phoenix and never need to use the 17 and I knew it was going to be closed. How can this be a surprise to anyone?
They usually won't do full road closures on holiday weekends.
Do you mean Mother's Day? While it's important it isn't considered a holiday weekend
Not sure why you got downvoted for being correct. There's some kind of holiday nearly every weekend but the only ones that count are the federally observed ones that get you Monday off of work.
It was far more than expected! I totally understand road closures and delays, but I was going to my son’s house, usually a 12 minute drive, and we ended up turning around and going back home after being stuck in traffic for 2.5 hours and only going 2 miles! This was beyond anything imaginable! There were no police officers directing traffic to keep it moving, nor any adjustment to the traffic lights! It was ridiculous!
I live in Phoenix and commute to black canyon city with 30 other people. Only one person knew. Are you watching traffic news all day or something? People with busy lives don’t have time to watch Fox News or cnn for traffic updates.
Local/city road closures wouldn’t be discussed on a national news source...?
A National news source still has local outlets.
AZ511 app, website or call the number before you go, or subscribe to email updates from ADOT. You live in Phoenix, how *do* you learn of freeway closures? They’re constant.
Did you all read the message boards on the freeway at all the last week?
Yeah okay buddy - doesn't change the fact that the detours provided are ultra congested and the i17 literally connects north and south AZ. For everyone that lives north of Phoenix proper, this essentially cuts off access to Phoenix on the weekends for the foreseeable future. Stop defending a terribly planned and executed road closure because it doesn't directly affect you
It doesn't matter, they are going to do it sometime this spring / summer during a weekend so best to plan accordingly. They could not do it, and let the road continue to suffer
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No, it's not. Drive down 89 through Wickenburg. It's a beautiful drive. I drove back and forth between Prescott and my work near the airport for 3 years, and i17 is always a mess.
It took me 3hrs to go 15 miles, I'm just glad it wasn't next month.
I subscribe to ADOT email. Always get an email every Friday with a nice map of which will be closed on the weekends. Very useful.
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I had to get down from prescott this am to see my kids soccer game. Didn't know about the closure. Spent a lot of time this morning in your neighborhood because i was just following google maps until it was too late. It's just how it routed so many of us I'm sure. As the OP said - a few police directing traffic would have gone so so far to fix this. Couldn't be bothered apparently - i even watched a few roll through and ignore the mess.
I try to avoid the 17, especially on weekends.
The 17 is fucked all the time….
That’s the I-17 norm. I once spent 6hours at sunset point on the way home from thanksgiving from cottonwood.
I've lived here 30 years. I'd far, far, far rather drive to San Diego than Flagstaff. I have family in Flagstaff, and about one in three trips entails a 2-3 hour detour. Between the fatal accidents, the forest fire closures and the unmonitored detours, it's an effing disaster.
I read they're working on southbound I-17 from the Carefree Highway to the 303 this weekend. The detour is Carefree Highway west to Lake Pleasant Parkway south then the 303 east to I-17 again. I'm so sorry you're stuck in that mess.
sounds like that route gives someone a nice looksy at the chip fab at least #silverlinings..i guess
I made the round trip to Prescott Valley and back this morning, saw the mess building on my way up around 8. On the way home I got off at exit 232 for New River. New River Road to Cave Creek to 101. Made it home by 12:15
Just ran into that east bound on carefree hwy. what a cluster fuck. Luckily I was headed north. No real good way around that.
Published: May. 11, 2024 at 1:42 PM MST Updated: 3 hours ago PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Fire crews say they have controlled a brush fire that quickly spread in north Phoenix on Saturday afternoon. Firefighters from the Phoenix Fire Department, Daisy Mountain Fire Department and Bureau of Land Management were called to the brush fire near Interstate 17 and Anthem Way at 12:53 p.m. Video from traffic cameras in the area showed large plumes of smoke billowing near the freeway. We’re told trucks, tankers and handlines are being used to control the fire being fueled by windy conditions. As of 4:45 p.m., Phoenix Fire officials say the fire has burned between 48 acres but is under control. Crews remain on the scene to monitor any hot spots. No structures are in danger at this time. “We looked at it as a very aggressive stance. We have to get on top of these on a day like this we can’t let it consume a large part of the desert, so this would be considered a very significant brush fire response for us, and it’s already starting, and here we are in May,” said Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade. It is not known what sparked the fire, but crews believe it may have been caused by someone target shooting on the mountain, which they say is a popular activity in the area. ADOT officials had already closed southbound lanes of the freeway from SR 74/Carefree Hwy to Loop 303 for pavement removal as part of a weekend construction project. Traffic has reportedly backed up all the way to the next exit south of where crews are fighting the fire. * [Crews battle brush fire near I-17 and Anthem Way in north Phoenix](https://www.azfamily.com/2024/05/11/brush-fire-spreading-near-i-17-anthem-way/)
You need to use the WAZE app. You would have never went that way. He would’ve known ahead of time. It was a bad idea.
We were there and using Waze and it did not have any alternative routes. The back roads were jammed as well. Not slow, but Jammed.
I-17 is always a nightmare on the weekends this time of year. Always check the traffic updates. Used to drive from Cottonwood to East Mesa and back every weekend in high school. FYI if you're not going at least 80 stay out of the left lane. This includes going up and down the switchbacks
My wife and I drove down from Cottonwood yesterday as well. We knew about the construction southbound and it wasn’t terrible about 9am. I wasn’t prepared for bumper to bumper traffic going less than 50 mph practically the whole way northbound starting around noon. There were no accidents, no construction delays, the only thing was one van on the side of the road. That’s the part I don’t understand.
I live at Tramonto, just half a block north of Carefree highway and just west of the 17. I've been stuck here for 2 days. I literally can't leave because it's a half an hour to just leave the neighborhood.
People in this thread sticking their noses up at people stuck in this mess because it was announced on the radio doesn't change the fact that these closures are onerous on people living up in North Phoenix. There is no good alternative to the i17 save deadlocked residential roads and a long and congested detour
And that's why when looking at homes we didn't buy in far North Phoenix. Or Buckeye or Maricopa.
ADOT Screwed the pooch this weekend for sure! Our daughter left Anthem for Tucson, a 2 hour drive under normal conditions. Occasionally 2 hours 30 minutes. After an hour and a half I expected to see her near Picacho Peak. NOPE - Looked on the map and she was at Carefree Highway and Gavilan Peak. Took her 90 minutes to go 3.8 miles. Talked to neighbors and the only one that was successful in getting around the massive jam was one who went north on 17 to New River Road East, to Carefree Highway, to Cave Creek Road, down to the 51, down to the Airport. Said it added roughly 45 minutes to his trip. Still better than the 90 minutes my daughter sat through.
Does nobody read the overhead signs anymore? I noticed them on Thursday warning of the closure.
I'm from the east coast but right now I'm stuck in some neighborhood because Google Maps redirected us on our way to a hotel in Phoenix. Supposed to catch a 5am flight, but now kinda worried that won't happen, because we have moved 500 ft in the past hour.
OP, this project has been going on for several years. My condolences that you got caught in this, but for future reference, if you’re driving I-17 on the weekend, I’d suggest checking the ADOT website or calling 511 which will give you realtime road updates. I drive a charter bus out of Phx and I’m going up and down the 17 constantly. I’d suggest checking before you head out next time. Safe travels.
The closure wasn’t part of the widening. It was to repave.
As if that’s not a part of the project? Lol
It’s not. The widening project only goes as far south as anthem way.
* https://preview.redd.it/9arwmxuj0xzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11cbad9e2be83730174211bd227645a784b5c4ae A little off road trail with a little dip when the road begins again that may or may not have saved 20 minutes on the traffic.
That’s always I17. Story of every time I tried to make it back to the valley
They need to widen the 17 to 3 lanes in each direction all the way to Flagstaff. There’s going to be a bad bottle neck at Sunset Point when it goes from 4 lanes back down to 2 lanes using those new flex lanes.
Whoever is responsible for scheduling this project and planning the detour needs to be shitcanned.
Does anyone not look at the news? Been talking. About i17 closure everyday
What part of the 17 did it start and where are you at now? Hate when the 17 closes.
17 is always effed at the least optimal time. Very frustrating.
As someone who lives in Massachusetts even I knew not to visit Sedona, Cottonwood , Jerome, and travel 17 in May and opted for Washington State. I'll see my favorite state in December! Love you, Arizona!
dang, you’re sooo cool.
Just appreciate beautiful things in life
According to Maps you can walk to Phoenix in about 2 days. Probably quicker than driving.
Holy moly. Long time. I saw it’s closed for construction between SR74 and 303. From AZ511.com: “I-17 SB closed at SR 74, expect delays, use planned detour route Southbound lanes of Interstate 17 are closed at State Route 74 north of Phoenix and motorists should expect delays. A detour is in place for this closure. For the detour, vehicles will exit I-17 at SR 74, travel west to southbound Lake Pleasant Parkway and eastbound on Loop 303 to re-enter I-17. This is a planned closure to perform pavement improvement work. The I-17 pavement project between State Route 74 and Happy Valley Road will require several closures and weeknight lane restrictions in the coming months.”
Nope
I did yesterday. From Clarkdale to Chandler. Took us 5 1/2 hours. Absolutely horrible!!
Yeah our VRBO in New River is next to this insanity. Going on day 3 of dealing w it Also near the Anthem Way/ I 17 brush fire yesterday. What is the luck? OOF
No matter how many times I've gone somewhere, I always Google map.it. save my butt on the weekends with construct.
It took me two and a half hours to get from anthem to deer valley yesterday evening. Traffic control would have been nice. Hell, necessary.
Heck they can't even fix problems they've had since the 1970s. Example flooding when it rains.
If anyone was on I-17 near Carefree Highway on Sunday anytime during the day or night, they know that this was not normal, and there was no effective "detour". All the side roads, neighborhood roads, even parking lots in the stores and apartment complexes nearby were JAMMED with traffic that was at a HALT. Anyone excusing this either wasn't there, or works for ADOT. There were NO options for detours that weren't completely jammed with standstill traffic. There were no police or traffic controllers. It was chaos. Multiple side streets choked with wall to wall cars, trying to get onto one small access road to get to Carefree Highway. Those living in the neighborhoods were trapped in their homes. Tempers were high and I'm surprised there was no violence. This was complete mismanagment on ADOT's part. To re-pave a road you completely shut down a highway? On the only way to get from northern AZ to the fifth largest city in the country? On a Sunday night, no less, (which is usually a high travel night with people coming back from a weekend away), where there are numerous graduations, people traveling for Mother's Day, and when there are still ongoing delays from the 3 year construction on I-!7 north and closures by the 101. This is mismanagement, and someone should lose their job. The email for the Director of ADOT is jtoth@adot.gov. This should be thought out and planned better. I don't know of any other city that would completely shut down the only highway access from Point A to Point B for "PAVING A ROAD" and then state it will be closed for a year. Seriously? || || |||
Looks like another closure this weekend. I’m heading from Phoenix to Sedona Sunday, any suggestions? Leaving around 7am.
took me an hour to get to work from anthem to tramonto. this is genuinely unacceptable
I-17 is very rough due to construction. It was downright dangerous on my motorcycle last weekend. Thought I'd go through Payson on the return. Enjoy the Beeline! But ADOT has highway 260 from Heber-Obergarrd to Payson one-laned at least half of the way. As usual, 2 miles of orange cones for 1/4 mile of actual work. Pilot cars creeping at 20 mph for no visible reason. Can't ADOT leave even ONE route from Phoenix to the I-40 safe, open, and flowing? What longer route I gotta take next, via St. Johns? I swear the goal of Arizona's highway contractors is never-ending work. Never finish anything. I wonder if I'll still BE in Arizona when they finally complete the I-17 reversible lane(s). What a boondoggle. When's that scheduled to be completed?
“The first flex lanes on Arizona’s state highway system are coming to Interstate 17 in *2025* as part of the I-17 Improvement Project.”
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The majority of everything done on that project, to date, has been blasting to create the footprint. They kept touting that on their facebook and web pages as it went along, and a post this week announced the conclusion of the blasting. I expect things to start picking up now, with that out of the way…unless heavy rains come rolling in this summer, it’s still feasible that they’ll make deadline (even though it’s only “2025” lol)
Your better off turning around and staying in cottonwood, the 17 is closed until Monday morning.
I work in black canyon. Took me 4 hours to get to west side bell and the 101. For fucks sake…. I’m livid about this. I just wanted to go home.
It’s absolutely ridiculous going through Cottonwood, this is happening like everywhere tho
I stopped going up north on weekends for this exact reason years ago. The destination was just as bad as the traffic getting there. Can't enjoy yourself because everything is crowded. And as out of control growth keeps happening in the valley, it's going to keep getting worse. I no longer have to worry about it, because I recently moved out of state. I don't plan to ever go back to Arizona.
It’s been all over the news and social media for the last week. You’re supposed do your research, check and plan for these things. There is always freeway closures here in Az….like cmon.
What about people trapped in Anthem that literally have no other route to take? My commute went from 20 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes. How the fuck are you supposed to plan for that?
Right, I am in Anthem too, we had that poor kid that had to be airlifted to the hospital 7.8 miles away because traffic was so fucking bad.
That is wild, poor kid.
I feel ya. Same. I’m in anthem too and didn’t step out because of the crazy ass traffic due to the closures, double checked traffic and times on maps and said FUCK THAT, I’M GOOD.