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By Ryan Pfeil For the Tidings February 04. 2016 11:13AM Detours near Phoenix exit in place through the weekend PHOENIX — Paving operations this weekend will close the road linking Interstate 5's exit 24 to downtown Phoenix until early Monday.  Luman Road, used by motorists to access Fern Valley Road and Highway 99, will be closed during the work, which is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday and wrap up at 5 a.m. Monday. The Oregon Department of Transportation said the exit will stay open so drivers can access roads on the east side of the freeway, but to access downtown businesses such as Ray's Food Place or The Shoppes at Exit 24, drivers will need to use Highway 99, which can be accessed from Talent exit 21 or the south Medford interchange at exit 27. Flag crews will guide drivers into The Shoppes at Exit 24 and an adjacent RV park, and pedestrians who need to cross the construction zone.  "This is similar to the weekend closure in September for asphalt, but this time it will be concrete," project manager Tim Fletcher said in a news release. "This is critical work to get the entire interchange project complete by fall." The work will involve pouring concrete at the intersection, then match it to the bridge and connecting roads.  "This will probably take the full time to 5 a.m. Monday," said ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming. "Not only do you have to have the concrete poured, then you need at least 24 hours for it to cure." The closure is the latest phase for the Fern Valley interchange, a $72 million project that will upgrade exit 24 to a "diverging diamond" pattern, which will be the first of its kind in Oregon.  On such an interchange, vehicles approach the overpass in the right lane, which allows a free right turn onto the freeway. The lanes cross, allowing a free left turn onto the freeway headed the opposite direction, then cross back to put vehicles in the usual right-hand lanes as they continue on the road. Steps planned for the coming weeks including striping and installing traffic signals. The project is expected to wrap up in September 2016. Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil . http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20160204/NEWS/160209927 © 2016 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->