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PHOENIX, AZ — Phoenix drivers should prepare for a series of lane restrictions on State Route 51 as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues bridge repairs and pavement work along the freeway.
The first round of restrictions began Tuesday night with overnight lane closures in both directions of SR 51. Those closures will continue through Friday morning from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
During the overnight work, northbound SR 51 is reduced to two lanes between Northern Avenue and Shea Boulevard. Southbound SR 51 is also narrowed to two lanes between Shea Boulevard and Glendale Avenue.
A separate northbound restriction is scheduled to begin Friday night and continue through July 27. Northbound SR 51 will be reduced to two lanes between Northern Avenue and Shea Boulevard during that weekend closure.
ADOT said the work includes bridge deck repairs, pavement improvements and diamond grinding, a process that smooths the roadway surface.
Drivers may also notice uneven pavement and leftover asphalt on some SR 51 bridge decks. ADOT said those conditions are temporary and connected to asphalt removal work completed earlier this year. Crews will remove the remaining asphalt during the upcoming work and resurface the freeway and ramps.
A larger closure is also scheduled to begin on July 27, when a section of northbound SR 51 between Highland Avenue and Camelback Road will be reduced to two lanes around the clock for seven weeks.
During that closure, crews will replace about 700 feet of damaged pavement linked to repairs on the freeway's drainage system. ADOT said the work will happen in phases, with the two right lanes closing first for about a month, followed by the two left lanes for another two to three weeks.
Drivers should expect longer delays during morning and evening commutes and consider using Interstate 17 as an alternate route, ADOT said.
The lane restrictions are part of a larger project that began in March to improve a 9.5-mile stretch of SR 51 between Interstate 10 and Shea Boulevard. ADOT expects the project to continue through the fall.
The article Lane Restrictions Underway On Phoenix SR 51 As ADOT Starts Bridge Repairs appeared first on Phoenix Patch.
