Eastbound Loop 101 ramp to SR 51 closed Thursday night (Sept 4)

PHOENIX – A project to widen a busy connection between Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) and State Route 51 in northeast Phoenix is scheduled to start this week.

Weather permitting, the ramp between eastbound Loop 101 and southbound SR 51 is scheduled to be closed from 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, to 5 a.m. Friday, Sept. 5, to allow crews to begin setting a work zone for the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $3.6 million project. Drivers can consider exiting to southbound Cave Creek Road or Tatum Boulevard before using Union Hills Drive to reach southbound SR 51.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in summer 2026.

Drivers can expect restrictions, including closures, at times on weeknights and weekends. In addition to creating a second lane on the eastbound Loop 101 ramp to southbound SR 51, the project also is designed to:

• Expand the eastbound Loop 101 exit leading into the ramp from one to two lanes
• Add a new concrete barrier along a curved portion of the ramp
• Install new overhead signs along eastbound Loop 101
• Restore any impacted freeway landscaping in the area

ADOT is managing the project in cooperation with the city of Phoenix and the Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional freeway planning agency for the Phoenix area. Information about the project is available at azdot.gov/Loop101SR51RampWidening. 

Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov and via the AZ511 app (download free for Apple and Android devices). ADOT also provides highway condition updates via its X/Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT.