PHOENIX — The new year is shaping up to be a big year for the Arizona Department of Transportation, as the agency will be working on several new and existing projects that will aid economic development and support the efficient movement of goods and services across the state.

All of the projects will be funded with federal and state highway funds, which are collected through gas and vehicle license taxes. In the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas, voters have approved supplemental tax revenue that enables more transportation projects to move forward in their respective regions. 

Phoenix-Area Projects for 2015

Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway
ADOT expects to release the Record of Decision for the long-proposed South Mountain Freeway this spring and work toward selecting a contractor for the proposed $1.9 billion project. The 22-mile-long freeway would run east and west along Pecos Road and then turn north between 55th and 63rd avenues, connecting with I-10 on each end. The South Mountain Freeway is also part of the Regional Transportation Plan funding passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 through Proposition 400. 

Loop 101 and Loop 202 Widening Projects in East Valley
Much of the focus on freeway improvements in the metro Phoenix area will remain on projects that broke ground in 2014 and are due for completion in 2016. The $73 million Loop 101 widening project between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area is adding an additional lane in each direction along 11 miles of the Pima Freeway, as well as merge lanes between most major interchanges. The $109 million project to widen the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway between Loop 101 in Tempe and Broadway Road in east Mesa also will advance, with new general purpose lanes being added between Loop 101 and Gilbert Road, along with HOV lanes between Gilbert Road and Broadway Road.

Interstate 10/Loop 303 Interchange
Among the new freeway projects scheduled to start this year is the “south half” of the Interstate 10/Loop 303 Interchange, which will complete all ramp connections between the two freeways in Goodyear. Work is expected to start this fall. The north half of the interchange opened last August and, combined with a widened Loop 303 north of I-10, has been embraced by West Valley communities as much-needed infrastructure to help drive economic development in the region. 

Additional Loop 303 Improvements in Northwest Valley
Farther north along Loop 303, ADOT will launch a project to add an interchange at El Mirage Road by this spring. The new interchange will be built at the same time that crews are improving Loop 303 into a six-lane freeway between Grand Avenue (US 60) and Happy Valley Parkway in Peoria. A third project already underway is creating improved connections at the Loop 303/Grand Avenue interchange. All three projects are scheduled for completion in 2016.

US 60 Improvements in Surprise
Also in Surprise, a project to build a Bell Road bridge over Grand Avenue (US 60) and new ramps connecting the two roadways is scheduled to start late in the year, after a design-build contracting team is selected by ADOT. 

Tucson-Area Projects for 2015 

Interstate 19 Traffic Interchange Reconstruction (Ajo Way)
In 2015, ADOT will begin work to replace the existing Interstate 19 traffic interchange at State Route 86, also known as Ajo Way, with a single-point urban interchange. The modern interchange will feature a single set of traffic signals, rather than signals at multiple locations. The $86 million project is expected to improve traffic flow and enhance safety for motorists traveling through Tucson’s southwest side. Construction is expected to continue through 2017 and will also include widening I-19 from Ajo Way to Irvington Road and widening SR 86 to three lanes in each direction between 16th Avenue and Holiday Isle.

State Route 77 Widening (Tangerine Road to Pinal County Line)
After starting work in summer 2014, ADOT will continue efforts to upgrade a six-mile section of SR 77 (Oracle Road) between Tangerine Road and the Pinal county line from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. Along with widening the roadway, planned improvements include raised medians, traffic signal and drainage improvements, wildlife crossings, sound walls and multiuse paths. The $33.9 million project is slated to take two years to complete. 

State Route 86 Widening (Valencia to Kinney Roads)
In 2015, ADOT is expected to begin construction on expanding SR 86 (Ajo Highway) in each direction from Valencia to Kinney roads in Pima County, 10 miles west of downtown Tucson. This seven-mile-long, $55 million project in Pima County will enhance safety and improve traffic flow on the highway, which serves as a regional transportation route between Tucson and south-central Arizona. SR 86 provides access to the Tohono O'odham Nation and is widely used to reach the popular tourist destination in Mexico called Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point.

Statewide Projects for 2015

Northern Arizona

US 93 Widening (State Route 71 to State Route 89 and Antelope Wash sections)
ADOT will continue long-standing efforts to transform the heavily traveled corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas into a modern four-lane divided highway throughout the entire 200-mile stretch with two US 93 widening projects this year. After beginning last year, ADOT will complete upgrading a three-mile segment of US 93 (Antelope Wash), located approximately 20 miles north of Wikieup (mileposts 101-104) this summer. A second US 93 widening project (State Route 71 to State Route 89), just north of Wickenburg (mileposts 185-190), is expected to break ground this spring. 

State Route 89A Spot Widening (Vista Overlook to JW Powell)
This $22.5 million project is slated to improve safety and traffic flow by widening the roadway and constructing passing lanes entering and exiting Oak Creek Canyon through an eight-mile stretch from the popular tourist destination Vista Overlook to the JW Powell interchange, three miles south of Flagstaff. Design of the project is nearly complete and ADOT hopes to start construction this year.

Interstate 40 Pavement Improvements (various projects)
ADOT has several major resurfacing projects in the works along the nearly 360-mile-long I-40, which is one of Arizona’s Key Commerce Corridors, as it stretches from California to the New Mexico state line, Three major pavement preservation projects are set to take place in 2015. This spring will complete final paving on the Rattlesnake Wash to US 93 (mileposts 57-72) section east of Kingman after the project began last summer. Later this year, ADOT will start two new resurfacing projects east of Flagstaff, including the Navajo county line to Minnetonka (milepost 250-259) and Walnut Canyon to Twin Arrows (milepost 214-218) segments.

US 89 Landslide Repairs (near Bitter Springs)
ADOT is scheduled to reopen US 89 south of Page after the highway was closed on Feb. 20, 2013 after a landslide caused serious damage to the highway near the Echo Cliffs. Major work on the repairs began on Aug. 11, 2014 as crews began excavating nearly one million cubic yards of rock near the highway to build a buttress, which will stabilize and reinforce the mountain slope that carries the roadway. The $25 million repair project remains on target to reopen to traffic this spring, in advance of this summer’s tourism season in Page and Lake Powell. 

Southern Arizona

US 60 Widening (Silver King/Superior Streets)
This spring, ADOT is expected to start a project to convert the last remaining two-lane roadway segment on US 60 between Phoenix and Superior into a modern, four-lane divided highway. The $45 million project (mileposts 222-227), which will also include improving the urban section of highway in Superior, is expected to take two years to complete.

US 95 Fortuna Wash Bridge
This $13.5 million project is part of a larger corridor improvement project for US 95, the north and south corridor between Yuma and Quartzsite. US 95 is also the main route to the Yuma Proving Ground, which is one of the largest employers in Yuma County and one of the Army’s busiest training sites in the U.S. This project includes a bridge over Fortuna Wash, which often floods during heavy rains. This project is scheduled to begin in the spring.

US 95 San Luis Street Improvements
This $11 million project includes reconfiguring San Luis Port of Entry traffic off US 95 in San Luis to facilitate business along Main Street. The project, which began in October 2014, will help the circulation of traffic, enhance pedestrian safety and improve access to downtown businesses near the U.S.-Mexico international border. Work will be completed this year.

Major Studies

Interstate 11
ADOT’s Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor Study continues to move forward. This year, work will begin on an Environmental Impact Statement which will allow ADOT to begin an environmental study in the area between Nogales and Wickenburg, part of the proposed Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor. The $15 million Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement is expected to take three years to complete, once work gets underway later this year. Interstate 11, which will connect Arizona to the entire Intermountain West, is one of our state’s Key Commerce Corridors. I-11 is being planned as a multimodal freight corridor and a manufacturing belt that will drive trade, commerce, job growth and economic development while facilitating strong connections to other major markets.

Passenger Rail
The next major step for ADOT’s Passenger Rail Corridor Study: Tucson to Phoenix is to publish the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public review. Three public hearings will be held later this year in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties to allow community members to comment on the recommendations of the study. Following the public review process, the final recommendations and environmental considerations will be issued on the Final Environmental Impact Statement for federal approval. ADOT is currently evaluating three final rail alternatives. The Passenger Rail Corridor Study is expected to be completed later this year. ADOT’s mission is to evaluate and implement modes of transportation to provide a well-balanced, flexible transportation system that moves people and commerce throughout Arizona.

PHOENIX — A project to improve and expand the traffic interchange linking Loop 303 and US 60 (Grand Avenue) in Surprise is scheduled to start the week of Dec. 8, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The $46 million project will widen Loop 303 into a six-lane freeway at the interchange and add a new bridge next to the existing Loop 303 bridge over Grand Avenue. When completed, the new span will carry three new eastbound Loop 303 lanes, allowing the existing bridge to carry three westbound lanes.

The improved interchange also will feature new on- and off-ramps connecting Loop 303 and US 60. The project also will allow for the removal of the last traffic signal along the mainline of the 36-mile stretch of Loop 303 between Interstate 17 in north Phoenix and Interstate 10 in Goodyear.

Sound wall construction is scheduled to start Monday along Loop 303 north of Mountain View Boulevard in the Sun City Grand area. Crews will be constructing walls over the next few months to limit the level of traffic noise in the area.

Other initial work starting next week will include shoulder improvements along the south side of Grand Avenue near the interchange. Crews are scheduled to begin closing the left lanes of Grand Avenue in both directions on Wednesday, Dec. 10, starting at Sunrise Boulevard and moving north for median work.

Grand Avenue traffic will be shifted to the wider south side of the roadway by early January, allowing two travel lanes in each direction between 163rd Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard. The speed limit on this section of Grand Avenue will be reduced from 55 to 45 mph throughout the duration of the 18-month project.

Earlier this year ADOT started work on another project to widen Loop 303 from a four-lane to a six-lane freeway between Grand Avenue and Happy Valley Parkway in Peoria.

Next year ADOT will break ground on a third project in the area to add a Loop 303 traffic interchange at El Mirage Road. Loop 303 will travel over El Mirage Road as part of the new diamond interchange, which will include on- and off-ramps connecting the two roadways.

All three of the Loop 303 projects in the northwest Valley are scheduled for completion by summer 2016.

PHOENIX - Drivers in the Goodyear area, west of Phoenix, have a new and improved way to travel between Interstate 10 and the Loop 303 freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Crews building the interchange linking I-10 and Loop 303 in Goodyear opened two elevated ramps this morning, providing drivers with the first-ever direct connections between the two freeways.

One of the new ramps connects southbound Loop 303 traffic to eastbound I-10, while the second ramp provides eastbound I-10 traffic with a faster way to reach northbound Loop 303.

ADOT expects to open two remaining ramps at the interchange by September.

Construction on the $145 million freeway-to-freeway interchange started in November 2011.

Governor Jan Brewer and other dignitaries took part in a dedication ceremony at the interchange on Saturday. ADOT and Goodyear also hosted local residents at an "open house" tour of the project's job site Saturday morning.

Officials on Saturday not only celebrated the upcoming completion of the Loop 303/I-10 interchange project but also the recent series of ADOT projects to reconstruct 12 miles of Loop 303 into a six-lane freeway between I-10 in Goodyear and Grand Avenue in Surprise.

The Loop 303 improvement projects are funded through the Maricopa Association of Governments' 20-year Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004.

PHOENIX – Valley residents and other guests had a chance to walk, jog, bike and even skate this morning on part of the soon-to-be-opened Loop 303 interchange at Interstate 10 in the West Valley.

The Loop 303 “Open House” event was held in Goodyear on a section of the new I-10 frontage road that travels beneath two elevated ramps that will soon provide connections between the two freeways, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Governor Jan Brewer took part in the celebration, and was joined by a group of Valley mayors, including Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The local leaders marked both the upcoming interchange completion, scheduled for September, and ADOT’s recent series of projects to improve Loop 303 into a six-lane freeway between I-10 and Grand Avenue.

Before helping to cut the ribbon on Saturday, the Governor said the Loop 303 improvements promise to help drive the region’s economy.

“I’m thrilled to be on my side of town today to celebrate Arizona’s newest freeway completion,” said the Governor. “It opens up our state to the growing communities in the West Valley – expanding commerce and easing travel throughout the region.”

ADOT Director John Halikowski also noted how the improvements to the area’s transportation system, including the $145 million Loop 303/I-10 interchange, will continue to create jobs.

“I can’t overstate the importance of all the work that has gone into planning, designing and now building the Loop 303 into a freeway that improves business access over the coming decades,” said Halikowski. “There’s a vital link between transportation improvements and jobs created by nearby economic development projects.”

When all four ramps connecting I-10 and Loop 303 are opened to traffic in the coming weeks, drivers for the first time will be able to travel along all 36 miles of Loop 303 between I-17 in north Phoenix and I-10 in Goodyear.

The Loop 303 projects are all part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004.

PHOENIX – A public “Open House” and dedication on Saturday morning, August 16, at the soon-to-be-completed Loop 303/I-10 Traffic Interchange in Goodyear will provide local residents and visitors with a chance to walk, jog, skate or cycle beneath the elevated ramps that will soon carry traffic between the two freeways.

Governor Jan Brewer is scheduled to join Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord, ADOT Director John Halikowski and other dignitaries at the event to mark the upcoming completion of the interchange as well as other recently-completed Loop 303 projects north of I-10. The interchange is scheduled to open to traffic in September.

The Loop 303 dedication event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. on August 16 along the new westbound I-10 frontage road that also was built as part of the $145 million freeway-to-freeway interchange project.

Parking will be available on the eastbound I-10 frontage road east of Citrus Road, south of I-10, in Goodyear. Those attending the event will then be able to walk or roll through the Cotton Lane underpass beneath I-10 and have an up-close view of the large ramps at the interchange.

For safety reasons, visitors will not be able to walk, jog or ride along the elevated ramps at the interchange.

Governor Brewer will speak at a ribbon-cutting ceremony starting at 9 a.m.

The Open House and dedication also will celebrate the completion of ADOT’s recent series of projects to improve Loop 303 from an older two-lane highway to a six-lane freeway traveling north and south from Goodyear to Surprise.