A major foundation milestone has been reached on one of Arizona’s most heavily traveled transportation corridors, as contractors advance replacement work on the Interstate 10 crossing over the Gila River.
Pulice Construction, a FlatironDragados company, has completed drilled shaft foundations for the Arizona Department of Transportation’s new eastbound I-10 bridge in Pinal County. The work represents a key structural phase in the broader effort to modernize the aging crossing as traffic demand increases along the Phoenix–Casa Grande freight and commuter corridor.
The eastbound bridge, which spans nearly 1,400 feet, is being rebuilt as part of a corridor-wide infrastructure upgrade intended to replace aging 1964-era structures and improve long-term roadway reliability. The project is a component of the larger I-10 Wild Horse Pass Corridor improvement program, a 26-mile segment that serves as a critical regional and interstate freight link.
Construction teams executed the drilled shaft installation through a high-intensity, double-shift operation designed to maintain production momentum while meeting complex foundation requirements. Crews installed two shafts per night using coordinated drilling and concrete placement operations.
Each drilled shaft measured 7 feet in diameter and extended as deep as 116 feet into subsurface materials. The foundations are engineered to support multiple load demands, including traffic loads, wind forces, seismic activity and long-term environmental conditions such as thermal expansion and potential river scour.
By extending into dense soil layers below anticipated scour depths, the shafts are designed to provide both axial and lateral stability for the future bridge structure. The foundation system relies on a combination of end bearing and skin friction to transfer structural loads safely into competent geological strata.
The completion of the drilled shaft phase follows demolition of the previous eastbound structure, clearing the way for full bridge reconstruction activities. The replacement bridges will ultimately provide expanded capacity with three lanes in each direction, wider shoulders and upgraded approach alignments intended to improve safety and traffic flow.
Transportation infrastructure projects of this scale are increasingly relying on accelerated construction methods, including extended shift work and specialized foundation systems, to meet schedule demands while minimizing disruption to major freight routes. The I-10 corridor remains one of the most important logistics and commuter pathways in the southwestern United States, connecting the Phoenix metro area with southern Arizona growth regions.
As foundation work wraps up, project teams will transition into subsequent structural phases, continuing coordination with the Arizona Department of Transportation to progress toward completion of the broader corridor improvement effort.
Source: Pulice.
