PHOENIX — A section of northbound Interstate 17 will be closed this weekend to allow for pavement work.
From 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, the section of I-17 between Happy Valley Road and the Loop 303 will be closed in north Phoenix. The I-17 on-ramps at Deer Valley and Pinnacle Peak roads will also be restricted.
The Arizona Department of Transportation said the recommended detour route will be westbound Happy Valley Road to northbound Lake Pleasant Parkway and then eastbound Loop 303 back to I-17.
ADOT said northbound drivers should avoid using local streets as alternate routes. Traffic is expected to be lighter in the early morning hours. Law enforcement officers will be stationed at intersections around the area this weekend to assist with traffic flow.
"Lengthy traffic backups are unavoidable during these closures, so drivers should plan ahead," ADOT wrote in a statement.
Last month, a similar closure on I-17 resulted in motorists sitting in a traffic "nightmare" and experiencing lengthy delays along the freeway.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
