I'll be heading to Tucson from Indio in a few days. Is there any reason to not take 85 down from 10 to Gila Bend to miss Phoenix? It looks like a good road to me.
On the weekends, driving thru PHX isn't a problem for us. Weekdays, 85 is a good alternative.
Maybe it's just perception, but I find I-8 to be in worse condition than I-10. They've done a lot of reconstruction on the 10 as it is gradually widened to three lanes between PHX and TUS, while 8 is still the same patched up road it's been since we moved here...