​ADOT Has A Plan For SR-143 To I-10 Traffic Congestion

Most Arizonans know this nightmare well: State Route 143, where they sit and wait in rush hour traffic to get to Interstate 10.

Instead of patience, drivers have been deciding to make their own lane, using the shoulder to speed by.

Here is one Valley man’s thoughts.


“Being that Phoenix is getting so big, rush hour doesn’t start at 4:00 p.m. anymore,” Jameson McConnell said. “So, you really… you get rid of rush hour in the morning and you got a couple hours and then you’re back in traffic again.”

McConnell admits, he is one of the dozens and dozens of drivers breaking the law to get through the traffic back-up.

“I’ve done it,” McConnell said. “And I’m not ashamed of it.”

He hopes that by being blatantly honest about his behavior that the Arizona Department of Transportation will listen and make structural changes to this area.

“I think they should add… an exit-only lane for the westbound 10 or change that curve to get on the eastbound,” McConnell described.

“The idea here with the 143 is completely remove the interchange that exists today,” explained ADOT spokesperson Tom Herrmann. “Forget all about it.”

It turns out, the department does have something in the works that may help break-up some of that build-up. It would be part of the larger I-10 Broadway Curve Project.

“We’ll be starting with ramps that will connect,” Herrmann described. “Instead of doing that clover-leave circle that you do right now from southbound 143 to eastbound I-10, you’ll just take a fly-over ramp that will get you right on the I-10.”

Herrmann said there will also be direct connections from the HOV lanes from the westbound I-10 to the northbound 143, and from southbound 143 to eastbound I-10.

“So, this should be something that will flow a lot more smoothly and should allow people to avoid that back-up and then hopefully we don’t have people driving on the shoulder anymore.”

The project is still about a year away, which is aggravating for Jameson. But he is still hopeful that help is headed in the right direction.

“If they’re going to be actually having a plan and doing it, then that’s something,” McConnell said.