As an 11-mile reconstruction project along Interstate 10 between Interstate 17 and the Loop 202 gets ready to start, biologists with the Arizona Department of Transportation are preparing to relocate native plants out of the way.
According to AASHTO Journal, crews are identifying state-protected plants in the planned construction zone—such as ocotillo and saguaro and barrel cactus—and studying roughly 2,500 trees to identify native species. The Arizona DOT plans to relocate most of them into temporary nurseries during construction, transplanting them back to their roadside habitats when construction work is complete.
According to the article, there were more than 1,000 plants along the South Mountain Freeway that were maintained for more than three years, and replanted after construction to preserve them. Arizona will state the I-10 reconstruction project this summer, relocating native plants and utility lines.
Construction is expected to be complete by 2024.
