I-10 Widening in Arizona Tackles 60-Year-Old Bottleneck Near Tribal Land

I-10 Widening in Arizona Tackles 60-Year-Old Bottleneck Near Tribal Land

More than 60 years after it was built, the last four-lane stretch of I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson is getting widened, ENR reports, with Arizona DOT’s nearly $1 billion Wild Horse Pass Corridor program set for completion in 2029.

Market Impact

The 26-mile corridor runs from the Loop 202 Santan/South Mountain Freeway in Phoenix to just north of Casa Grande, adding a mainline travel lane in each direction, extending HOV lanes, upgrading interchanges and installing intelligent transportation systems. Most of the project sits on sovereign land belonging to the Gila River Indian Community, which required separate environmental assessments and constant coordination. “Every design decision, every right-of-way action and all proposed construction activity had to be coordinated with the community, state and federal agencies and local authorities,” said Miloš Vasiljević, transportation program management director for HDR, ADOT’s program manager and general engineering consultant.

The program is split into multiple contracts. Pulice, a Flatiron Dragados company, started the first phase in May 2024, a $71.2 million replacement of the 1,400-foot Gila River bridges, now nearing completion with deck pours and paving underway this fall. FNF Construction Inc. is handling a 10-mile, $268 million segment near Casa Grande. A three-mile, $158 million segment between the Gila River and Gas Line Road is still awaiting a contractor selection, with work expected to start later this year. The most complex 11-mile northern section went to a design-build team led by Coffman Specialties Inc. and Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. for $410 million, including a new diverging diamond interchange and a flyover structure.

What It Means for Subcontractors

• Cultural training and preapproval requirements apply to all crews on tribal land: expect mandatory orientation, laydown-area approvals, and monitored excavation before any dirt moves, as Pulice and its subs experienced on the Gila River bridge job.
• Bid opportunity still open: the $158 million, three-mile segment between the Gila River and Gas Line Road has no contractor selected yet and is slated to start later this year, ADOT says, a live opening for civil, paving, and structural subs.
• Design-build flexibility on the $410 million northern section means Coffman Specialties and Fisher Sand & Gravel can adjust means and methods, including a proposed switch from asphalt to concrete pavement rated for 30-plus years, so subs pitching materials or paving alternatives should engage early through the design-build team.
• Traffic control and night-versus-day sequencing matter here: Pulice staged girder placements before sunrise and worked overnight when volumes were lighter, since there’s no detour network on this stretch, meaning MOT and safety planning experience will be a selection factor for future phases.
• Deep foundation work is in demand: the Gila River bridges required roughly ninety drilled shafts up to 84 inches in diameter and 118 feet deep, signaling ongoing need for specialized drilling and shaft contractors on the remaining segments through 2029.