Pre-construction work underway on I-17 improvement project

BLACK CANYON CITY, Ariz. (AP) — State transportation officials are advising drivers on Interstate 17 to slow down and avoid being distracted by preparations for a long-awaited project that will add more lanes in a mountainous stretch of the freeway north of Phoenix. The state Department of Transportation said Thursday there will be nighttime lane closures, daytime shoulder closures and speed-limit reductions as preparatory work such as surveys and inspections is conducted. Some of that pre-construction work will involve using helicopters to haul workers and equipment to areas that are difficult to reach for drilling and boring work. Actual construction is to start later this year year.