Construction is underway on a 2.5-mile widening of Olive Avenue between Loop 303 and Reems Road in western Glendale, a project that will add travel lanes, turn capacity, traffic signals and drainage infrastructure along a growing West Valley corridor.
The Maricopa County Department of Transportation project page says work began Monday, Oct. 19, near Cotton Lane on the west end of the corridor. Completion is anticipated in early 2028.
MCDOT currently lists no traffic restrictions, but says drivers should expect lane restrictions and intermittent closures as construction progresses. Emergency access will be maintained.
What will change on Olive Avenue
The project extends from just west of Loop 303 to just east of Reems Road. Olive Avenue will be widened to two travel lanes in each direction with a paved center turn lane.
New traffic signals are planned at Sarival Avenue and Reems Road. Both intersections will also be widened with dedicated turn lanes, increasing capacity at two north-south routes serving neighborhoods and development west of the Agua Fria River.
The work includes box culverts and headwalls at Sarival Avenue, a new drainage channel between Sarival and Reems, pavement markings and related cleanup. Those drainage improvements are a significant part of the project because runoff can interrupt travel and damage road infrastructure during intense desert storms.
Regular construction hours are scheduled from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. MCDOT says some weekend or holiday work may be needed, and hours can begin earlier during the warmer months. Weather, equipment problems and other construction conditions could change the schedule.
Two programmed segments total about $17.3 million
The county presents the work as one active corridor project, identified as TT0561. Regional transportation records divide it into two construction segments.
The Maricopa Association of Governments transportation program lists $8.663 million in local construction funding for Olive Avenue from Loop 303 to Sarival Avenue and another $8.663 million from Sarival Avenue to Reems Road. Together, those entries total $17.326 million.
That total describes programmed construction funding in the regional plan. It should not be read as a confirmed final contract price because bid awards, change orders and supporting costs can differ from programmed amounts.
What drivers should watch
The most immediate effect will be construction activity west of Loop 303 near Cotton Lane, followed by work across the corridor toward Sarival and Reems roads. MCDOT has not posted a detailed phase-by-phase traffic-control schedule.
Drivers should watch for new restrictions before traveling Olive Avenue, particularly near the three major north-south crossings. The county says project milestones and traffic alerts will be added to the official project page as they become available.
When complete, the widening will create a continuous higher-capacity east-west route between Loop 303 and Reems Road. The center turn lane should reduce conflicts from vehicles waiting to enter side streets and properties, while the new signals will formalize traffic control at Sarival and Reems.
The project adds another piece to the transportation network growing around Loop 303. ADOT is separately moving a planned interchange at 96th Avenue into detailed design, while freeway widening and system-interchange construction continue near Interstate 17.
West Valley Post is following those projects in the Loop 303 Development & Infrastructure Tracker.
Featured image: Original West Valley Post editorial illustration. It represents road construction in the West Valley and does not depict the actual Olive Avenue work zone, an official design or a documented site condition.
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