An Arizona Department of Transportation project getting underway this weekend will widen and make other improvements along the Loop 101 Pima Freeway between Interstate 17 in north Phoenix and Pima Road in north Scottsdale.

This $185 million project, which will add a fourth general purpose lane in each direction along the 13-mile stretch, is scheduled for completion by early 2021.

Construction will start Friday night, Feb. 8, with the first of a series of weekend closures allowing crews to place temporary barriers and adjust lane stripes while setting up work zones.

The first weekend closure is scheduled as follows:

Eastbound Loop 101 closed between I-17 and Seventh Street in north Phoenix from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday (Feb. 11) for placement of temporary barriers and lane-stripe adjustments. Both I-17 ramps to eastbound Loop 101 closedEastbound Loop 101 on-ramp at 27th Avenue also closedDETOUR: Eastbound Loop 101 traffic will exit at 27th Avenue and detour along Beardsley frontage road before re-entering Loop 101 at Seventh Street. To limit delays, drivers should consider other alternate routes, including eastbound Bell Road, Union Hills Drive or Deer Valley Road.

For the safety of work crews and freeway travelers, the work zone speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph. Drivers should slow down, use caution and watch for highway crews and equipment.

In addition to adding lanes, the Loop 101 Improvement Project includes constructing right shoulder merge lanes in both directions between the Seventh Street and Cave Creek Road interchanges.

Crews will widen several bridges to accommodate the new lanes. Noise walls and retaining walls also will be added or relocated where warranted. Later stages of the project will feature work to resurface all lanes with smooth rubberized asphalt.

Drivers also should plan for work zones at Loop 101 interchanges as work progresses, including closures or lane restrictions along on- and off-ramps. More information about the project is available at azdot.gov/Loop101Improvements.

The Loop 101 Improvement Project between I-17 and Pima Road is funded as part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Funding sources include a local half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements as well as the Phoenix region’s share of federal highway funds.