Foundational to the visual character of Southern Arizona’s most important highway, the traffic interchanges along I-10 from Casa Grande to the New Mexico state line stand as vernacular monuments to our regional culture and heritage, and as reflections of our beautiful Sonoran Desert.
Wheat Design Group in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), other agencies, community stakeholders, local artists, and multi-disciplinary design teams have undertaken an ambitious mission to imbue these transportation infrastructural features with color and meaning and provide “living museums” as legible waypoints which celebrate Southern Arizona through our kinetic landscape.
Beginning in the early 1990’s, many traffic interchanges along I-10 were redesigned to support higher traffic demand and regional population growth. Structure aesthetics was an important aspect for each project from the beginning. The design of the bridges, abutments, and retaining walls included the use of unique concrete formliners; decorative colorful metal integrated into the pedestrian fencing; and the inclusion of public artists on the design team.