News Releases

PHOENIX (August 29, 2019)–Drivers who got stuck in last night’s monsoon flooding along Interstate 17 may be relieved to know that help is on the way. A drainage project scheduled to begin construction this fall is expected to prevent such flooding in the future. The project is slated to take just under two years to complete.

The drainage project will replace four aging storm drain pump stations and replace them with a modern gravity-fed storm drain system. Pumping stations along I-17 at Greenway, Thunderbird, Cactus, and Peoria will be removed. As part of the new system, 30” to 90” diameter pipes will divert storm water to the Arizona Canal Diversion Channel (ACDC) near Dunlap Avenue. In addition, two water retention basins will be built at I-17 and Thunderbird.

Funding for the improvements will come from Proposition 400, the voter approved regional sales tax for transportation in Maricopa County. The project is anticipated to cost $38.4 million.

The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is responsible for long-range transportation planning in the region, and included the project in the Regional Transportation Plan approved under Proposition 400.

“Flooding during heavy rainstorms is a well-known problem along I-17, and this project will improve both the safety and efficiency of a critical freeway corridor,” said MAG Chair Mark Mitchell, mayor of Tempe. “We appreciate that the foresight of voters allows us to continue to deliver transportation projects that make a difference in the daily lives of residents.”

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