19th Avenue Bridge to North Valley Parkway Nearing Completion

In a major city like Phoenix, it's common to have heavy traffic on arterial streets as well as freeways. 19th Avenue is one of Phoenix's busiest arterial streets. The road begins near South Mountain Park and runs north for an impressive 26 miles before terminating at Jomax Road in North Phoenix.

Soon, a new bridge will open that will allow drivers to continue into the North Valley Parkway neighborhood and on to Carefree Highway. This new bridge will provide a much-needed alternative to the congested Interstate 17 and Norterra Parkway routes.

The new North Valley Parkway bridge is currently under construction at 19th Ave just past Jomax Road in North Phoenix. Local engineering firm JG Engineering took part in the bridge's design, which comprises a triple-span pre-stressed concrete I-girder type with 135-foot, 145-foot, and 115-foot spans over the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal.

The cost of the bridge is estimated to be $12 million dollars according to the Arizona Republic. Funding for the bridge came from the Arizona Highway Users Revenues and the Phoenix's capital improvement program.

A unique feature of the bridge are sunken concrete "U-boxes" which will allow CAP maintenance vehicles and pedestrians to pass beneath the bridge. By placing these features below grade, the bridge can maintain a lower profile.

A grand opening date for the bridge has not yet been announced.