ADOT Shifts I-10 Traffic Onto New Pavement as $600M Tucson Freeway Project Reaches Milestone

TUCSON, AZ (May 18, 2026) — Motorists began driving on a newly constructed section of Interstate 10 over the weekend as the Arizona Department of Transportation made major progress on the Tucson Freeway Project, a project to widen 3 miles of the freeway southeast of downtown Tucson.

Interstate 10: Kino to Country Club Project map
Map courtesy of ADOT

Traffic was shifted onto 1.3 miles of new concrete pavement from Park Avenue to Country Club Road, marking a milestone in the $600 million project to reconstruct and widen I-10 from Kino Parkway to Alvernon Way.

The project was 40% complete at the time of the traffic shift. Major work completed so far included installing 82 bridge girders at five locations through the project area, constructing abutments for the new Kino Parkway bridge over I-10, and beginning work on a new interchange at Country Club Road.

Along with the traffic shift, ADOT advised motorists to be aware of other changes in the work zone that began Friday night:

The westbound I-10 off-ramp to Park Avenue closed for up to 90 days.

The eastbound I-10 on-ramp at Park Avenue closed for up to 90 days.

The westbound I-10 on-ramp at Palo Verde Road closed permanently.

Work began in June 2025 with the goals of reducing delays and enhancing safety. Major project features included adding a third lane in each direction of I-10 and building two interchanges.

Considered the largest highway construction project in Southern Arizona history, the improvement will:

Widen I-10 to three lanes in each direction between Kino Parkway and Alvernon Way with auxiliary lanes;

Reconstruct the interchange at Kino Parkway;

Construct a new interchange at Country Club Road to provide access for traffic that previously used the Palo Verde Road interchange and allow for safer traffic movements to and from I-10;

Remove the existing interchange at Palo Verde Road;

Construct a new westbound on-ramp at the Alvernon Way interchange; and

Construct an I-10 undercrossing to connect the North and South Kino Sports Complex.

Throughout the project, ADOT will maintain two lanes of travel in each direction on I-10 during peak travel times while maintaining access to businesses. Construction is expected to continue through 2028.

The project was the first to result from a study completed in 2020 that recommended how to best improve mobility along a roughly 10-mile stretch of I-10 from I-19 to Kolb Road. The study also identified an alignment for an extension of State Route 210, also known as Barraza-Aviation Parkway, along Alvernon Way that will connect I-10 to downtown Tucson.

For more information, visit I-10KinotoCountryClub.