About three months after completing the first phase of improvements to the interchange of Interstate 19 and Ajo Way in Tucson, ADOT crews have begun the second half of the project.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is beginning preliminary work for Phase 2 of the Interstate 19/Ajo Way traffic interchange project.

About three months after completing the first phase of improvements to the interchange of Interstate 19 and Ajo Way in Tucson, ADOT crews have begun the second half of the project.

Work on water and sewer lines to clear the way for the project is under way. Drivers likely won't see restrictions on area roads until this fall.

The $32 million project includes building a new bridge over the Santa Cruz River; widening Ajo Way between I-19 and Holiday Isle Boulevard; replacing the pedestrian bridge at Michigan Street; and creating a braided ramp south of Ajo Way (State Route 86). The Pima Association of Governments, the regional transportation-planning agency, is contributing about $6 million toward the cost.

The braided ramp will have the entrance ramp to southbound I-19 at Ajo Way going over the exit ramp for Irvington Road. The design avoids having drivers maneuver around each other as they enter or exit the freeway. Some of the work to create the braided ramp was completed during the first phase of the project.

Work on the second phase is expected to take about 18 months and should be complete in January 2020.

Key elements of the project include:

• Reconstruction and widening of southbound I-19 within the project area;
• construction of a “braided” ramp alignment with the southbound Ajo Way on-ramp to I-19 passing over the southbound Irvington Road off-ramp from I-19;
• widening of northbound I-19 to add an auxiliary lane between Irvington Road and Ajo Way;
• completion of I-19 noise walls south of Michigan Avenue and along the south side of Ajo Way between Kostka Avenue and I-19;
• completion of drainage improvements and improved drainage collection features;
• replacement of the Michigan Avenue pedestrian bridge;
• replacement of the Santa Cruz River Bridge on Ajo Way;
• reconstruction and widening of Ajo Way from Holiday Isle to I-19;
• construction of bank protection and the new Rodeo Wash outlet into the Santa Cruz River; and
• applying a rubberized-asphalt pavement overlay on I-19 from Irvington Road to north of Ajo Way.

Work is expected to continue through early 2020.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/AjoWay.

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