MESA, Ariz. — Crews are working to reopen lanes on a busy stretch of road in the Valley that have been closed for months. When the Gilbert Road Bridge construction is finished over the Salt River, it’ll make it easier to get up to places like the High Country to cool off this summer.
The intersection at Gilbert and Thomas Roads in Mesa is still closed, but Valley transportation leaders said their hope is to reopen two of the lanes as early as this summer.
When that happens, it’ll reopen access to thousands who travel from the Valley up to Payson, Strawberry, Show Low, Heber and more, without having to back track to Arizona Ave., to reach the Beeline Highway.
The Maricopa County Department of Transportation said the Gilbert Road Bridge over the Salt River reached the end of its useful life and needed to be rebuilt. Plus, growing Valley communities increased the demand for travel there.
The old Gilbert Road Bridge was only two lanes. So, a decision was made a couple of years ago to replace it with a four lane modern bridge, MCDOT said. Construction started in late 2022.
The $49.5 million dollar project has included the recent demolition of the original bridge. And a new traffic signal is being installed at Thomas road.
To prevent flooding in almost all cases, the Maricopa County Department of Transportation's Tom Herrmann said the project includes installation of a new storm drain and a waterline for SRP’s water delivery system. The new bridge is being built to withstand everything up to a 100-year flood.
"A 100-year flood is a very unlikely event," Herrmann said. "We're prepared for up to that, but we've done a lot here to make sure the bridge is secure and safe. We've dug down 14 stories with the supports for this bridge to make sure it'll be standing no matter what happens to it."
Construction crews asked Valley drivers to avoid the area until the road is finished and reopened. The entire project is expected to be finished by the end of 2024.
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