I-10 widening starts with two Buckeye weekend closures

BUCKEYE, Ariz. Construction has begun on the first phase of an Interstate 10 widening project between Verrado Way and Citrus Road, with two full weekend closures being used to remove worn pavement, restripe lanes and establish the work zone.

The Arizona Department of Transportation says the active project will add a high-occupancy-vehicle lane in each direction, widen bridges where needed and add a concrete median barrier and lighting in some locations. The work covers the heavily traveled corridor linking Buckeye and Goodyear west of Loop 303.

As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, eastbound I-10 remained closed between Verrado Way and Citrus Road. ADOT scheduled the closure to end at 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9. Drivers should check AZ511 before traveling because construction schedules can change.

Current and upcoming closures

The eastbound closure includes on-ramps at Verrado Way, Jackrabbit Trail and Miller, Watson and Perryville roads. ADOT recommends eastbound Yuma Road or McDowell Road as alternate routes to reach I-10 at Citrus Road.

A second full closure is scheduled in the opposite direction next weekend. Westbound I-10 is set to close between Loop 303 and Verrado Way from 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, until 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16.

That closure will include the northbound and southbound Loop 303 ramps to westbound I-10, plus westbound on-ramps at Bullard Avenue, Estrella Parkway, Jackrabbit Trail and Citrus and Perryville roads. ADOT lists Van Buren Street, Yuma Road and McDowell Road as alternate routes for reaching westbound I-10 at Verrado Way.

The closure details come from ADOT’s first-construction advisory. The agency also maintains a broader I-10 widening project page with the phasing and planned improvements.

What crews are building

During the opening phase, crews are removing the top layer of worn asphalt, shifting traffic toward the median, applying temporary lane striping and installing barriers along the outside of the freeway. ADOT says the existing number of general-purpose travel lanes will be maintained during construction, although weekend and overnight restrictions will continue.

The finished Verrado-to-Citrus segment is planned to have one new HOV lane in each direction. Bridges will be widened where necessary, the freeway will receive a diamond-grinding surface treatment, and noise abatement will be added where warranted.

Work on the outside portion of the Citrus Road bridge is expected to begin in early 2027, requiring additional weekend closures. ADOT expects paving of the new outside lanes to begin in spring 2027. The project page does not give a final completion date for the active segment.

A February 2026 ADOT Project Review Board record lists a $144.234 million approved program budget for the broader 11.5-mile I-10 corridor from State Route 85 to Citrus Road. That figure covers the larger corridor program, not only the construction now underway between Verrado Way and Citrus Road.

The western segment is still a future phase

ADOT separates the plan into two phases. The Verrado Way-to-Citrus Road segment is under construction. The longer stretch from State Route 85 to Verrado Way remains planned and is pending future state legislative funding.

Buckeye said in March that more than 140,000 vehicles travel I-10 between State Route 85 and Citrus Road each day and that 1,145 crashes were recorded between Citrus Road and Verrado Way from 2021 through 2025. Those city figures help explain why the corridor has become a major capacity and safety priority as housing, retail and industrial development expands west of Loop 303.

The widening is separate from the I-10/Jackrabbit Trail interchange project, which is also under construction nearby. Together, the projects will produce overlapping restrictions and changing traffic patterns through the western I-10 corridor. West Valley Post tracks both projects in its Buckeye Development Tracker.

Featured image: Representative Buckeye-area landscape photographed from I-10 in October 2025. Photo by Toastdebunny via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. It does not show the current work zone.