Work on a project to add new lanes along Interstate 10 between Verrado Way and State Route 85 in Buckeye is scheduled to start Sunday night, July 18, with a series of overnight lane restrictions.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s $82 million project will increase  much-needed traffic capacity, improve future traffic flow and enhance safety by adding a third lane in each direction along an 8-mile stretch of I-10 west of Verrado Way.

Initial construction will include pavement improvements along the right shoulders of I-10 within the project’s work zones. The shoulder paving will allow a temporary shift of the I-10 travel lanes while crews begin constructing new lanes along the freeway’s center median.

The following overnight restrictions are scheduled at the start of the I-10 project:

Westbound I-10 narrowed to one lane in areas between Verrado Way and State Route 85 from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday nights (July 18-22).

Westbound I-10 restrictions are expected to continue at the start of the week of July 25-29 before crews switch to overnight work along eastbound I-10. Restriction schedules are subject to change due to factors such as inclement weather.

Drivers should allow extra travel time and be prepared to slow down and merge safely when approaching and traveling through work zones.

The I-10 Improvement Project between Verrado Way and State Route 85 is scheduled for completion in summer 2023. The interchanges at Miller and Watson roads also will be reconstructed as Diverging Diamonds, with a wider I-10 continuing to travel over each of those cross streets.