Editing Interstate 8 (section)

===Yuma to Casa Grande===
[[File:3-line distance sign, I-8, Gila Bend, AZ.jpg|thumb|left|A sign displaying the mileages on I-8 westbound in Gila Bend]]
I-8 enters Arizona from California at the Colorado River bridge at Yuma. It initially heads south through Yuma until the interchange with [[U.S. Route 95 in California|US&nbsp;95]], where the freeway begins to turn to the east and passes through eastern Yuma and [[Fortuna Foothills, Arizona|Fortuna Foothills]], briefly paralleling US&nbsp;95 and passing through a second border inspection station. In the [[Gila Mountains (Yuma County)|Gila Mountains]], the eastbound lanes of I-8 cross under the westbound freeway, briefly traveling to the left near Telegraph Pass before reverting. West of [[Wellton, Arizona|Wellton]], the highway takes a northeasterly course, paralleling the [[Gila River]] and passing to the south of [[Roll, Arizona|Roll]]. Through this part of Arizona, I-8 passes along the northern edge of the [[Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range]] and to the south of the [[Yuma Proving Ground]]. It keeps a northeastern heading, passing through the community of [[Dateland, Arizona|Dateland]], until it reaches [[Gila Bend, Arizona|Gila Bend]]. There, the freeway intersects [[Arizona State Route 85|SR&nbsp;85]] heading north to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and south to the [[Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument]].<ref name="ADOT Highway Log"/><ref name="googleAZ"/>

After leaving Gila Bend, I-8 takes a southeastern course as it passes through the [[Sonoran Desert National Monument]]. Exiting the national monument grounds, the highway continues on an easterly bearing to a junction with [[Arizona State Route 84|SR&nbsp;84]], a highway that parallels I-8 to the north and goes through [[Casa Grande, Arizona|Casa Grande]], while I-8 passes to the south of both [[Stanfield, Arizona|Stanfield]] and Casa Grande. I-8 reaches its eastern terminus southeast of [[Casa Grande Mountain Park]] at an interchange with [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]], which continues north (westbound) to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], and south (eastbound) to [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]].<ref name="ADOT Highway Log"/><ref name="googleAZ">{{google maps |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=12292208217460437544,32.728310,-114.617480%3B401209425362210788,32.817011,-111.683029&saddr=I-8+E+%4032.728310,+-114.617480&daddr=Exit+178A+%4032.817011,+-111.683029&doflg=ptm&sll=32.795685,-113.150255&sspn=3.181171,5.119629&ie=UTF8&z=8 |title=Overview Map of I-8 in Arizona |access-date=April 11, 2008 |link=no}}</ref>

The combination of SR&nbsp;85 between I-10 and I-8 as well as I-8 between SR&nbsp;85 and I-10 in Casa Grande has been promoted as a bypass of the Phoenix area for long-distance travelers on I-10.<ref name="sign">{{cite sign |author = Arizona Department of Transportation |url = http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_8_Eastern_Terminus.jpg |title = Exit&nbsp;200 eastbound overhead |medium = Highway guide sign |location = Casa Grande, AZ |publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation |access-date = October 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141220121322/http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interstate_8_Eastern_Terminus.jpg |archive-date = December 20, 2014 |url-status = live }}</ref> In 2014, I-8 had an AADT of 5,200&nbsp;vehicles between Butterfield Trail and Freeman Road, and 44,400&nbsp;vehicles between [[Arizona State Route 280|SR&nbsp;280]] and Araby Road east of Yuma, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway in Arizona.<ref name=AZtraffic>{{cite web |title = Average Annual Daily Traffic |author = Arizona Department of Transportation |url = http://azdot.gov/docs/default-source/planning/2014-interstates-aadt.pdf?sfvrsn=2 |format = PDF |publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation |year = 2014 |access-date = December 14, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170329213143/http://azdot.gov/docs/default-source/planning/2014-interstates-aadt.pdf?sfvrsn=2 |archive-date = March 29, 2017 |url-status = live }}</ref> In the early 2010s, I-8 from Casa Grande to Gila Bend was sometimes used for smuggling both drugs and humans.<ref>{{Cite news |url = http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/29/20110129arizona-smuggling-on-interstate-8.html |title = Arizona, Federal Officials Target Smugglers on Interstate 8 |last = Collom, Lindsey |date = January 29, 2011 |work = The Arizona Republic |location = Phoenix |oclc = 2609778 |access-date = June 21, 2014 }}</ref>