Interstate 17

[DJStephens]

Looks like I-17 near downtown Phoenix could potentially get a speed limit upgrade to 65MPH: https://azdot.gov/news/adot-conducting-public-survey-about-i-17-speed-limit-phoenix

On one hand, I feel like everybody already does 65-70 through the whole section anyway. On the other, this is also the oldest section of freeway in the Valley and feels very narrow and has a LOT of traffic seemingly at all times, so encouraging people to go even faster might not be a good idea. Overall, this section really feels like it's out of place among the rest of the Phoenix freeway system which feels very open and flowing (especially once the I-10 Broadway Curve project is done next year and discussions genuinely need to be had about doing a complete rebuild to add capacity. The problem is even the slightest mention of it instantly makes you think about just how bleeping expensive it would be. If Broadway Curve was $600,000,000+, any rebuild of I-17 would absolutely be over a Billion dollar project.

Believe at one time (nineties perhaps) there was reconstruction of 17 north of 10.  Where at least four GP lanes in each direction were squeezed underneath modified, or in some instances replacement bridge overpasses.   If the road was COMPLETELY reconstructed, could a 5 x 5 facility, with HOT/HOV lanes and full shoulders be squeezed in, without any ROW acquisitions?  Am guessing no.   

[Sonic99]

Looks like I-17 near downtown Phoenix could potentially get a speed limit upgrade to 65MPH: https://azdot.gov/news/adot-conducting-public-survey-about-i-17-speed-limit-phoenix

On one hand, I feel like everybody already does 65-70 through the whole section anyway. On the other, this is also the oldest section of freeway in the Valley and feels very narrow and has a LOT of traffic seemingly at all times, so encouraging people to go even faster might not be a good idea. Overall, this section really feels like it's out of place among the rest of the Phoenix freeway system which feels very open and flowing (especially once the I-10 Broadway Curve project is done next year and discussions genuinely need to be had about doing a complete rebuild to add capacity. The problem is even the slightest mention of it instantly makes you think about just how bleeping expensive it would be. If Broadway Curve was $600,000,000+, any rebuild of I-17 would absolutely be over a Billion dollar project.

Believe at one time (nineties perhaps) there was reconstruction of 17 north of 10.  Where at least four GP lanes in each direction were squeezed underneath modified, or in some instances replacement bridge overpasses.   If the road was COMPLETELY reconstructed, could a 5 x 5 facility, with HOT/HOV lanes and full shoulders be squeezed in, without any ROW acquisitions?  Am guessing no.

I do remember that. They squeezed in one more lane each direction and replaced a couple of the overpasses. But yeah, anything beyond the current configuration would be astronomically expensive. They're right up against their ROW's with the frontage roads and with so much facing them, it would be impossible to remove the frontage roads without also acquiring all those properties. There's just no way I see that happening.

[kdk]

Looks like I-17 near downtown Phoenix could potentially get a speed limit upgrade to 65MPH: https://azdot.gov/news/adot-conducting-public-survey-about-i-17-speed-limit-phoenix

On one hand, I feel like everybody already does 65-70 through the whole section anyway. On the other, this is also the oldest section of freeway in the Valley and feels very narrow and has a LOT of traffic seemingly at all times, so encouraging people to go even faster might not be a good idea. Overall, this section really feels like it's out of place among the rest of the Phoenix freeway system which feels very open and flowing (especially once the I-10 Broadway Curve project is done next year and discussions genuinely need to be had about doing a complete rebuild to add capacity. The problem is even the slightest mention of it instantly makes you think about just how bleeping expensive it would be. If Broadway Curve was $600,000,000+, any rebuild of I-17 would absolutely be over a Billion dollar project.

Believe at one time (nineties perhaps) there was reconstruction of 17 north of 10.  Where at least four GP lanes in each direction were squeezed underneath modified, or in some instances replacement bridge overpasses.   If the road was COMPLETELY reconstructed, could a 5 x 5 facility, with HOT/HOV lanes and full shoulders be squeezed in, without any ROW acquisitions?  Am guessing no.

I remember that as well, it did help modernize things a bit without adding ROW.  Then after the double decker concept was proposed, as it would have been cheaper than acquiring all the ROW to widen around there.  There was immediate public outcry then so the plan didn't go too far.

[Sonic99]

Looks like I-17 near downtown Phoenix could potentially get a speed limit upgrade to 65MPH: https://azdot.gov/news/adot-conducting-public-survey-about-i-17-speed-limit-phoenix

On one hand, I feel like everybody already does 65-70 through the whole section anyway. On the other, this is also the oldest section of freeway in the Valley and feels very narrow and has a LOT of traffic seemingly at all times, so encouraging people to go even faster might not be a good idea. Overall, this section really feels like it's out of place among the rest of the Phoenix freeway system which feels very open and flowing (especially once the I-10 Broadway Curve project is done next year and discussions genuinely need to be had about doing a complete rebuild to add capacity. The problem is even the slightest mention of it instantly makes you think about just how bleeping expensive it would be. If Broadway Curve was $600,000,000+, any rebuild of I-17 would absolutely be over a Billion dollar project.

Believe at one time (nineties perhaps) there was reconstruction of 17 north of 10.  Where at least four GP lanes in each direction were squeezed underneath modified, or in some instances replacement bridge overpasses.   If the road was COMPLETELY reconstructed, could a 5 x 5 facility, with HOT/HOV lanes and full shoulders be squeezed in, without any ROW acquisitions?  Am guessing no.

I remember that as well, it did help modernize things a bit without adding ROW.  Then after the double decker concept was proposed, as it would have been cheaper than acquiring all the ROW to widen around there.  There was immediate public outcry then so the plan didn't go too far.

Just purely based on what I've seen in a couple other places, I wonder if some kind of elevated Express Lanes could be the most realistic solution to expand capacity on 17. Yeah, it would also be an incredibly expensive task, but basically the only other alternative is to buy all the property next to the frontage roads and remove them, it might not actually be as unreasonable as you might think in comparison.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Looks like I-17 near downtown Phoenix could potentially get a speed limit upgrade to 65MPH: https://azdot.gov/news/adot-conducting-public-survey-about-i-17-speed-limit-phoenix

On one hand, I feel like everybody already does 65-70 through the whole section anyway. On the other, this is also the oldest section of freeway in the Valley and feels very narrow and has a LOT of traffic seemingly at all times, so encouraging people to go even faster might not be a good idea. Overall, this section really feels like it's out of place among the rest of the Phoenix freeway system which feels very open and flowing (especially once the I-10 Broadway Curve project is done next year and discussions genuinely need to be had about doing a complete rebuild to add capacity. The problem is even the slightest mention of it instantly makes you think about just how bleeping expensive it would be. If Broadway Curve was $600,000,000+, any rebuild of I-17 would absolutely be over a Billion dollar project.

Believe at one time (nineties perhaps) there was reconstruction of 17 north of 10.  Where at least four GP lanes in each direction were squeezed underneath modified, or in some instances replacement bridge overpasses.   If the road was COMPLETELY reconstructed, could a 5 x 5 facility, with HOT/HOV lanes and full shoulders be squeezed in, without any ROW acquisitions?  Am guessing no.

I remember that as well, it did help modernize things a bit without adding ROW.  Then after the double decker concept was proposed, as it would have been cheaper than acquiring all the ROW to widen around there.  There was immediate public outcry then so the plan didn't go too far.

Just purely based on what I've seen in a couple other places, I wonder if some kind of elevated Express Lanes could be the most realistic solution to expand capacity on 17. Yeah, it would also be an incredibly expensive task, but basically the only other alternative is to buy all the property next to the frontage roads and remove them, it might not actually be as unreasonable as you might think in comparison.

ADOT has approved the speed limit increase to 65 mph on I-17 between the I-10 interchange and Peoria Avenue...

https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1861022/adot-raising-speed-limit-section-i-17
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnLBRWlMEYc