US 93 In Arizona Progress

[Max Rockatansky]

The endless cycle of this project going into EIR black holes has begun.

[vdeane]

Perhaps a more reasonable scope/routing of I-11 south of Wickenburg will come out of this.

[Max Rockatansky]

It never had any business getting anywhere near Tucson. 

[Henry]

It never had any business getting anywhere near Tucson. 

Agreed! I-19 needs to be left alone.

[Plutonic Panda]

The US-93 widening between Wikieup and I-40 is 70% completed:

https://azdot.gov/news/adot-completes-first-bridge-us-93-widening-project-near-wikieup

[pderocco]

The US-93 widening between Wikieup and I-40 is 70% completed:

https://azdot.gov/news/adot-completes-first-bridge-us-93-widening-project-near-wikieup

I guess "between Wikieup and I-40" doesn't include either endpoint. I have the nagging suspicion that widening US-93 through the interchange or the town is years off.

[Plutonic Panda]

The US-93 widening between Wikieup and I-40 is 70% completed:

https://azdot.gov/news/adot-completes-first-bridge-us-93-widening-project-near-wikieup

I guess "between Wikieup and I-40" doesn't include either endpoint. I have the nagging suspicion that widening US-93 through the interchange or the town is years off.

Yeah I haven't been through here in awhile I was hoping the small stretch through town would be included. The I-40 interchange should be starting construction within the next 5 years, no?

[KeithE4Phx]

Yeah I haven't been through here in awhile I was hoping the small stretch through town would be included.

How would they do this without destroying what's left of Wikieup?  A bypass would kill it, and an elevated in-line segment with ramps that would give local access probably wouldn't be practical.

There isn't much of Wikieup anymore, but there are several restaurants that would appreciate continued access to the highway.

[pderocco]

Yeah I haven't been through here in awhile I was hoping the small stretch through town would be included.

How would they do this without destroying what's left of Wikieup?  A bypass would kill it, and an elevated in-line segment with ramps that would give local access probably wouldn't be practical.

There isn't much of Wikieup anymore, but there are several restaurants that would appreciate continued access to the highway.

I don't know, has anyone stopped for food in Wikieup? Not me. There's probably better food in Kingman or Wickenburg, so I would think those restaurants would be for the locals, not long distance travelers So a bypass might not be fatal.

[Plutonic Panda]

It's a lazy reason to not want to improve traffic flow between some of the largest cities in the region. Wikieup will either die or survive either way a bypass will be built(I-11) and this road needs to be four laned in the meantime. Much of the road is already four lanes through the town itself just the outside approaches to the town aren't. Not sure how that'll hurt anything.

[KeithE4Phx]

I don't know, has anyone stopped for food in Wikieup? Not me. There's probably better food in Kingman or Wickenburg, so I would think those restaurants would be for the locals, not long distance travelers So a bypass might not be fatal.

Wickenburg has mostly fast food on the main highways (60 and 93), but I haven't checked out downtown.

Wickieup has Dazzo's, which is classic Chicago food, and IIRC, there's a nice Italian restaurant just off the new section of 93.

[Plutonic Panda]

A tiny desert town that serves Polish Chicago style food. Hold my biological gut I'm going in.

[ClassicHasClass]

Now I understand how Olancha blew it with US 395: jerky and bottled water instead of restaurants.

[pderocco]

Now I understand how Olancha blew it with US 395: jerky and bottled water instead of restaurants.

... and the filthiest rest room I've ever seen.

[splashflash]

It looks like the AADT counts between I-40 and Wickenburg are in the 4000-5000 range. Quite a bit lower than I was expecting.

I feel like this says something about Phoenix but I'm not sure what.

No, it's double that, per 2023 ADOT traffic counts:  https://azdot.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/2023-AADT-PUBLICATION_USRoutes.pdf

I think I'm looking at one-direction counts and you're looking at combined NB and SB. In any event, it's lower than I was expecting.

A fine argument when there is a clear corridor of population and traffic.  Trouble is there is a whole lot of barren desert lands between Kingman and Wickenburg.  I have no objections to completing I-11 south to Kingman (although the interchange at I-40 is probably all that is needed).

Upgrading US-93 between Hoover Dam and Kingman should be done for safety reasons, if nothing else. While it's not all that congested, it's one of those corridors where much of it is flat and empty so you get people going 80+. If someone randomly hits their brakes to hang a left or whips out from a side road in front of traffic it can cause some scary moments. That random traffic signal for the gas stations in the middle of nowhere isn't doing anyone any favors either.

Similarly, I think it would be wise to continue upgrading the two-lane portions to at least four-lane divided to provide more opportunity for passing. The traffic counts may not be high enough for full freeway, but they're high enough for head-on collisions due to someone getting impatient and pulling a dumbass move.

Tony does a video between Kingman and the Lake Mead viewing point. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uhwZkPCqsQY
The longish video shows how potholey the road is, especially the right hand lane.  He won't say his speed, but stays in the passing lane the full trip to avoid potholes.

[Scott5114]

The longish video shows how potholey the road is, especially the right hand lane.  He won't say his speed, but stays in the passing lane the full trip to avoid potholes.

Believe it or not, it's even worse southbound.

[splashflash]

The longish video shows how potholey the road is, especially the right hand lane.  He won't say his speed, but stays in the passing lane the full trip to avoid potholes.

Believe it or not, it's even worse southbound.

Paving well in progress: https://youtu.be/nEsxLPRndcw?si=FEwxst2d9uf9xyBt

[splashflash]

New tunnel opens on I-40/US 93 interchange project in Kingman



https://azdot.gov/news/new-tunnel-opens-i-40us-93-interchange-project-kingman

Project to construct free-flowing interchange now 80% complete
KINGMAN – The Arizona Department of Transportation has opened a new tunnel as part of a project to construct a free-flowing interchange that will reduce delays on the main route between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

This milestone comes as ADOT has reached 80% completion on the $106 million project to build a new connection between Interstate 40 and US 93 in west Kingman.

The 239-foot-long tunnel carries northbound Beale Street traffic from downtown Kingman and I-40 that is about to merge with northbound US 93 on the way to Las Vegas. It is just one element of the project that will reduce delays with a new interchange that will eliminate the need for motorists to stop at a traffic signal on Beale Street at I-40. Instead, one mile of new ramps will allow traffic to flow freely between I-40 and US 93.

This is the project's second tunnel and the one that will handle the most traffic. The other tunnel, which opened in September 2025, serves local traffic using Fort Beale Drive and is 215 feet long.

The tunnel's completion comes as ADOT has also finished rock blasting along I-40 and wrapped up construction of sound walls along I-40. Work in progress includes paving the new mile-long ramps connecting I-40 and US 93.

Looking ahead, ADOT is preparing to install the final bridge girders on the flyover ramp that will connect southbound US 93 with eastbound I-40. That work is expected to take place in October.

The ongoing construction will continue to involve daytime and nighttime work and lane restrictions. Throughout the project, drivers are able to continue exiting both US 93 and I-40 at Beale Street to access businesses, Route 66 and downtown Kingman.

Construction is expected to continue into 2027, when the interchange will open with 6 miles of widened or newly constructed roadway. The project includes five new bridges, two bridge widenings, four bridge rehabilitations and two miles of sound walls.

The project is creating a mile of new highway carrying traffic northwest of the existing interchange at I-40 and Beale Street. Other features include:

Widening more than a mile of I-40 in both directions between the new interchange and Stockton Hill Road
Adding a merge lane on US 93 northbound
Widening and/or rehabilitating four bridges on I-40
Building sound walls along a portion of I-40 to the west of Stockton Hill Road
Constructing drainage features
ADOT began the project in July 2024.