Loop 303

Time sure does fly ... Construction started on the Loop 303/I-10 interchange project last winter, but now, only about one year later, work on the future freeway-to-freeway connection is 50 percent complete!

Driven the Loop 303 lately? If you have, you know things are looking very different than they did about a year ago.

West Valley drivers have, no doubt, already noticed there’s a lot happening over on the I-10/Loop 303 interchange project, but for the rest of you, we thought we’d provide a quick update…

you were able to “virtually” drive on the new stretch of road and see the views around your neighborhood? Imagine if you could get a glimpse of what a freeway ramp would look like from the vantage of the road?

Sound walls are built to block sound waves and … actually, that’s about all they’re designed to do. Despite serving pretty much just one single purpose, sound walls are important features in freeway design – especially to those living near a freeway.

We’ve followed along pretty closely as work on the Loop 303 has started to transform this two-lane freeway into a major transportation corridor for drivers in the West Valley…

In the transportation industry, one of the greatest ways to connect with the future now is to watch a construction project take shape.

We don’t know about you, but the Loop 303 improvement project sure has taught us lot about building a freeway… So far, we have come to understand more about soffit fills and waste slabs than we ever thought possible. We’ve also learned quite a bit about false work and sand jacks, bridges, temporary bypasses, caissons and even dirt.

We won’t blame you if you see this green slope at the Loop 303 and US 60 (Grand Avenue) and think it's part of a St. Patrick’s Day stunt, but we promise this is no gimmick! The mound of dirt is green for good reason, albeit one that has nothing to do with tomorrow’s holiday …

Last week we were asked on Facebook to provide an update on the Loop 303 project – specifically the bridge construction at Waddell Road. We’re happy to oblige! We also are glad to report that the bridge construction is progressing as planned.

Remember this awesome time-lapse video showing the construction of a temporary bypass at Greenway Road and the Loop 303? Well, today we’ve got an even more in-depth look at how crews built the new intersection – complete with temporary barriers, fences and traffic signals – in just about 43 hours! (Take a look at the photos below for an amazing before and after aerial glimpse of the new bypass!)

If you’ve been following our Building a Freeway series, you should be pretty familiar by now with much of the work that’s happening out on the Loop 303.

The new year officially is here, but before we dive into 2012 we’re going to take a quick look back. ADOT’s Public Information/Media Relations team came up with a great list of the state’s major transportation accomplishments from 2011 and we thought we’d share it here on the blog!

Accommodating existing traffic is a key priority when ADOT builds a freeway … Depending on the project, that can mean working out a construction schedule that takes rush hours into account or hiring extra crews to flag and direct traffic through the site.

Before you can build a freeway, you’ve got to move a little dirt... Make that a LOT of dirt, especially in the case of the Loop 303 project under construction right now in the West Valley.

Last month, as part of our Building a Freeway series, we told you about the massive underground support substructures that help give bridges strength. Next up in the series is an important -- but temporary -- structure that’s used as crews build a bridge, tunnel or even a box culvert.

You know when you drive under or over a freeway bridge that it’s a massive structure… There are the two abutments (the upright supporting structures at each end that carries the load of the bridge span), there are usually center columns or piers, and, of course, the girders and the bridge deck (the part you actually drive across).

When ADOT has a freeway to build, many steps must be taken long before any asphalt is paved. One of those initial tasks involves pre-wetting the soil, which entails pretty much exactly what you think it does … crews put sprinkler systems into place and water the dirt!

When ADOT builds a road, the work gets started years (sometimes decades) ahead of any real construction … It all begins with the planning phase, which includes everything from determining where a new roadway is most needed to taking a look at available funding.

When the editorial team at Roads & Bridges makes choices for the magazine’s annual Top 10 Roads list, many factors are considered. But, according to Editorial Director Bill Wilson, it’s the challenges faced in building each nominated road and the project’s impact that get the closest looks. Maybe that’s why the Loop 303 (Happy Valley Road to Lake Pleasant Parkway) made it to this year’s top 10!