PHOENIX – Construction is scheduled to start May 31 on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s project to improve traffic flow along a 6.4-mile stretch of Loop 101 (Price Freeway) by adding one lane in each direction between Baseline Road and Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) in the Tempe, Mesa and Chandler areas.

The $76 million Loop 101 improvement project will begin with a weekend closure of southbound Loop 101 south of the US 60 (Superstition Freeway) interchange to allow crews to begin setting a work zone along the freeway.

Southbound Loop 101 is scheduled to be closed between US 60 and Warner Road from 10 p.m. Friday, May 31, to 5 a.m. Monday, June 3, for work zone setup.

The project is scheduled for completion by fall 2020. In addition to adding a fourth general purpose lane in each direction along Loop 101 south of Baseline Road, crews also will construct retaining walls and safety barriers and make upgrades to sign structures, freeway lighting and landscaping. The northbound Loop 101 bridge over Chandler Boulevard also will be widened.

Drivers who use Loop 101 between US 60 in Tempe and Loop 202 in Chandler should plan ahead for restrictions, including weekend closures and overnight restrictions. For safety, the speed limit within the work zone will be reduced to 55 mph.

The Loop 101 Price Freeway improvement project is funded as part of the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Transportation Plan approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Funding sources for the plan’s projects include a regional half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements as well as the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

PHOENIX – A $6 million federal grant will help the Arizona Department of Transportation and partner agencies advance the use of technology to help drivers steer clear of congestion on the 60-mile-long Loop 101 freeway in the Phoenix area.

The project will include development of a Decision Support System to provide Loop 101 drivers with real-time information, including best detour routes, when freeway slowing occurs due to crashes, disabled vehicles or other incidents.

ADOT teamed up with the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), several Valley cities, the University of Arizona and Arizona State University, plus Valley Metro to apply for the Federal Highway Administration grant as part of that agency’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program.

“While ADOT and Maricopa County have already been national leaders in using freeway management technology, this project will allow us to take the next step to inform drivers about traffic conditions and alternate routes,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Improving safety and incident response are also keys to managing congestion and are at the heart of this partnership.”

The federal grant will allow ADOT to work with Maricopa County and other partners on the design of the Loop 101 Mobility Project. Other technologies to be deployed include enhanced traffic signal timing to help move traffic on arterial streets and transit routes when the freeway is congested.

The development of a mobile app will improve data exchange between the regional transportation network and the travelers who use it. Transit vehicles also will be outfitted with connected vehicle technology to improve accessibility to destinations while helping people, including senior citizens, who depend on transit services.

“As Maricopa County grows, technology plays an increasingly important role in keeping people and products on the move,” MCDOT Director Jennifer Toth said. “This project will demonstrate how technology innovation can not only improve everyday driving but also improve how we manage congestion when our region hosts major events like the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four, Phoenix Open golf and Cactus League baseball.”

The Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies program funds cutting-edge technologies that are ready to be deployed to enhance existing traffic capacity for commuters and businesses.

“Technology is the future of U.S. transportation,” said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Brandye L. Hendrickson. “Innovations like this one are the future of congestion management for America’s highway system and deserve this important recognition.”

ADOT and its partners also have identified $27 million in existing project funding that, when combined with the $6 million federal grant, will pay for designing and installing the Loop 101 Mobility Project within the next four years.

PHOENIX – With Valley drivers benefiting from several freeway improvement projects completed during 2016, including the widening of Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area, the Arizona Department of Transportation is poised to start or complete several Phoenix-area projects in the coming year.

ADOT’s highlights for the regional freeway system in 2017 include:

• Beginning construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. Work scheduled for the first half of 2017 includes setting foundations for some of the 40 bridges planned, widening eastbound lanes of Pecos Road to accommodate two-way traffic during construction, creating access roads near the freeway’s future interchange with Interstate 10 in west Phoenix and creating drainage structures. This 22-mile direct link between the East Valley and West Valley will open by late 2019.
• Opening the south half of the Interstate 10/Loop 303 interchange in Goodyear by fall. The $63 million project, launched last February, will complete freeway-to-freeway ramps and extend Loop 303 south to Van Buren Street. Loop 303 traffic will then have direct connections to and from Cotton Lane south of I-10. The north half of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange opened to traffic in August 2014.
• Resurfacing an 11-mile stretch of Interstate 17 between 19th and Peoria avenues in Phoenix in spring 2017. Crews will add a new layer of smooth, durable rubberized asphalt along the Black Canyon Freeway when warmer spring weather provides the best conditions for the resurfacing work. Rubberized asphalt, which has been used on Valley freeways for several years, includes rubber from shredded recycled tires as part of the pavement’s mixture.
• Completion of the new Bell Road/Grand Avenue interchange in Surprise by spring 2017. The $42 million project started last February. Crews opened the new bridge carrying Bell Road over Grand Avenue and the parallel BNSF Railway tracks on Nov. 22. New ramps connecting Grand Avenue to and from the Bell Road bridge are scheduled for completion in time for the Cactus League baseball season in late February.
• Installing Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) traffic-management technology between Ray and Broadway roads in Mesa. The project, scheduled to start by summer 2017, will add several overhead message signs, closed-circuit traffic cameras and traffic-flow sensors along the Santan Freeway. The technology allows ADOT to provide travelers with updated freeway conditions. A current ADOT Freeway Management System project along Loop 202 between Dobson and Ray roads is scheduled for completion in spring 2017.

ADOT’s 2016 Valley freeway construction accomplishments include:

• Completing $109 million in Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) improvements between Loop 101 and Broadway Road, adding new travel lanes between Loop 101 and Gilbert Road, extending HOV lanes by 11 miles between Gilbert and Broadway Roads and resurfacing the roadway with rubberized asphalt.
• Completing $74 million in Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) improvements between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area, a project that added new right lanes and paved 11 miles of roadway with rubberized asphalt.
• Widening Loop 303 to three lanes in each direction between Grand Avenue (US 60) and Happy Valley Parkway in the northwest Valley, a $30 million project that wrapped up in 2016 with rubberized asphalt paving.
• Performing preliminary construction for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.  Work began in September with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange in the Ahwatukee area.
• Opening State Route 51 ramps to and from Black Mountain Boulevard at the Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) interchange. ADOT teamed with the city of Phoenix on this $17.8 million project to improve access in the Desert Ridge area of northeast Phoenix.

ADOT works with the Maricopa Association of Governments, the Phoenix area’s metropolitan planning organization, to schedule and deliver projects as part of the 20-year Regional Transportation Plan approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Funding sources include a countywide half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements as well as the Phoenix region’s share of state and federal transportation funds.

PHOENIX – One of the benefits of the recent widening of Loop 101 in the Scottsdale area is that on-ramp meters, featuring those alternating green and red traffic signals, won’t be in use as often now.

The Arizona Department of Transportation followed up on the addition of new Loop 101 lanes by assessing improved traffic conditions between Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway). The result: Most ramp meters in that area will now be used about half as often as they were before ADOT launched the $73 million project to improve 11 miles of Loop 101 south of Shea Boulevard.

The ramp meters in the Scottsdale area weren’t in use during construction, which included rebuilding on- and off-ramps along the freeway. Crews are scheduled to activate the meters again starting Monday, Dec. 12. Prior to the widening project, the meters were used during both the morning and afternoon peak commute times.

With reduced congestion, drivers can expect most Loop 101 ramp meters in the Scottsdale area to be used during only one peak commute period each weekday. 

For example, ramp meters along the busier northbound Loop 101 between McKellips and Indian Bend roads will only be in use from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays. Conversely, most ramp meters along southbound Loop 101 between Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and McKellips Road will only be used during the 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. peak commute times. The hours of operation will vary slightly depending on location and anticipated traffic conditions (see the list below).

The northbound Loop 101 ramp meters at Via De Ventura, 90th Street and Shea Boulevard will still be used during both the morning and afternoon rush hours. At this time, the southbound Loop 101 ramp meter at Shea Boulevard and northbound meter at Cactus Road won’t be used at all. The southbound ramp meter at Raintree Drive will be limited to use during the morning rush hour.

Ramp meters are used to enhance traffic flow by providing space between vehicles entering freeways across the Phoenix area. That space between vehicles also promotes safer merging conditions for drivers who are either entering or exiting freeways.

Ramp meter use and hours of operation are subject to change depending on future traffic conditions.
 

 

Loop 101 entrance ramp meter schedule as of Dec. 12, 2016  

7 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Loop 101 North ramp meters at McKellips Road, McDowell Road, Thomas Road, Indian School Road, Chaparral Road, McDonald Drive and Indian Bend Road.

6 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Loop 101 South ramp meter at Raintree Drive.

3 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Loop 101 South ramp meters at Chaparral Road, Indian School Road, Thomas Road, McDowell Road and McKellips Road.

3 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Loop 101 South ramp meters at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Cactus Road, Indian Bend Road and McDonald Drive.

3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

• Loop 101 South at 90th Street, Via De Ventura.
• Loop 101 North at Raintree Drive and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.

7 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Loop 101 North ramp meters at Via De Ventura, 90th Street and Shea Boulevard.

Note: Loop 101 North ramp meter at 90th Street will start at 3 p.m.

Not in use at this time

Loop 101 South ramp meter at Shea Boulevard and Loop 101 North ramp meter at Cactus Road.

 

PHOENIX – Major work is complete on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $73 million Loop 101 widening project in the East Valley.

Although final work and some lane restrictions can be expected over the next month, the last scheduled full closure for the project occurred last weekend to allow crews to add permanent lane stripes and complete bridge deck-joint improvements along northbound Loop 101 north of Chaparral Road.

Crews have finished resetting the freeway’s speed limit to 65 mph between Shea Boulevard and the Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway). For safety’s sake, the work zone speed limit had been lowered to 55 mph.

ADOT’s 11-mile-long project, which began in August 2014, has widened Loop 101 from four to five travel lanes in each direction, including the existing HOV lanes. Crews also realigned ramps and added new merge lanes between major interchanges to provide more room for drivers to enter or exit the freeway.

Other major Loop 101 improvements include:

• Drainage system upgrades
• A new layer of smooth, durable rubberized asphalt across all travel lanes
• New overhead message signs to advise drivers of traffic conditions or incidents
• New freeway signs and center median pole-mounted LED lighting
• Closed-circuit digital traffic cameras for tracking traffic conditions
• New or updated landscaping, including hundreds of salvaged plants and cactuses

The project’s schedule was set in advance of the start of construction to avoid conflicts with major events in the Scottsdale area and the Phoenix region. For example, freeway and ramp closures were not allowed when Super Bowl events, Cactus League baseball and the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament were taking place.

ADOT project staff shared information with local residents and businesses, and met regularly with representatives from the city of Scottsdale and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to discuss the Loop 101 project’s scheduled work, traffic restrictions and planned detour routes.

Crews are now scheduled to complete other work, including drainage system improvements and the installation of Americans with Disabilities Act-sanctioned wheelchair ramps along local cross-street sidewalks, in November.

The Loop 101 Improvement Project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a countywide half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of state and federal highway funds.

SCOTTSDALE – Drivers on the now-wider Loop 101 (Pima Freeway), where new lanes have been added south of Shea Boulevard, may also have noticed construction crews working in recent months to transplant large saguaros, other cactuses and trees that had temporarily been stored in nurseries near the freeway. Many of the tall saguaros have been around longer than Arizona has been a state.

As part of the Arizona Department of Transportation's $74 million project to improve an 11-mile stretch of Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway), the project team early on salvaged more than a thousand plants. That includes approximately 400 saguaros that are now back as part of the desert-based landscaping next to the freeway.

ADOT worked closely with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the city of Scottsdale on the plans for salvaging, storing and transplanting the cactuses and other plants, including thorny ocotillos and ironwood trees.

“This restoration work is challenging but also very rewarding because many of the saguaros are more than a hundred years old and it’s great to have them in place as an iconic symbol of Arizona,” said ADOT Landscape Construction Supervisor Richard Adamson.

The plant-restoration work next to Loop 101 ramped up this summer, with crews using heavy equipment to transport individual plants from each of the nurseries to a location mapped out for their replanting. In addition to the plants that were saved over the last two years, crews also are adding approximately 10,000 new shrubs, trees and cactuses along the freeway.

“We’ve learned a lot over the years about including plant restoration in our freeway-improvement projects,” said Madhu Reddy, district engineer for ADOT’s Central Construction District in Phoenix. “Local communities support these efforts and we receive compliments from local residents and Valley visitors who like what they’re seeing.”