The Loop 303 is “growing up” right before our eyes.

It seems like just yesterday we were blogging about the massive amount of dirt that would need to be moved for construction of the stretch between Mountain View Boulevard and Peoria Avenue – now, that portion is all finished.

Other sections are coming along, too.

ADOT Senior Community Relations Officer Michelle Thompson discusses in the video above that the section between Thomas and Camelback roads is nearly completed (it just needs rubberized asphalt). The Camelback Road to Glendale Avenue segment is expected to be done in summer 2014. Then, there’s the stretch between Glendale and Peoria avenues…

“It’s three lanes in each direction, it has the rubberized asphalt and it’s good to go,” Thompson says.

While we’re excited to witness the transformation from a two-lane roadway into a modern, urban freeway, we also are very interested to hear how the completed Loop 303 will impact the surrounding communities. Surprise Mayor Sharon Wolcott does a great job of explaining the project’s significance.

“I think the best thing about the 303 right now is that it gives our community more choice,” Mayor Wolcott says in the video. “We’ve been lacking that choice, that connectivity, for a very long time … wow, what a difference now.”

It’s really remarkable to see the progress of projects like the one above, isn’t it?

We’ve been following this one – the Loop 303/I-10 Interchange – since ADOT started construction two years ago. Right now, work is about 65-70 percent complete and crews are slated to wrap things up by fall 2014.

When the project is finished, drivers will get a freeway-to-freeway connection between Loop 303 and I-10 (it will look similar to the Loop 101/I-10 interchange in Tolleson and Avondale for those of you familiar with the West Valley).

You can read more details in this blog post about the project’s start. You can also take a look at what the project site looked like a year ago in this February blog post (it’s come a long way!).

If you’re interested in the adjacent Loop 303 project (we’ve blogged plenty about that one!), stay tuned next week – we have a video update coming your way!

The last time we checked in on the Loop 303 project, crews were getting ready to initiate a traffic switch on a segment between Mountain View Boulevard and Peoria Avenue…

Today, as ADOT gears up for another traffic switch (this one is between Glendale and Peoria Avenues), we thought we’d take one more look at all the progress that’s happening on the project.

But first, let us fill you in on what you’ll need to know for this weekend.

Loop 303 is going to be closed between Cactus Road and Glendale Avenue from 9 p.m. tonight (Sept. 13) to 5 a.m. on Monday (Sept. 16).

Glendale Avenue and Cactus Road will remain open to east-west traffic. Drivers can use Sarival Avenue as a detour.

Views of the Loop 303 at Bell Road.

After this freeway work is completed, rubberized asphalt will be in place and drivers will be able to use three lanes in each direction as well as the overpasses at Peoria, Olive and Northern avenues (traffic currently travels on one lane in each direction from Glendale Ave. to Peoria Ave.).

This is a major milestone for the project that, when complete, will provide a fast and convenient travel option for West Valley motorists.

The Loop 303 was once a two-lane roadway that is transforming into a modern freeway (with three travel lanes in each direction between I-10 and I-17!).

Looking ahead

Over the next two weekends, workers will return to place rubberized asphalt on northbound lanes between Peoria Avenue and Mountain View Boulevard, with full northbound closures on Loop 303 to facilitate this work.

Once that work is complete, all three northbound lanes will open to traffic and that portion of the project will be finished (another major milestone!).

For a look at the project’s evolution, check out our previous posts.

We like to check in, from time to time, on the Loop 303 project…

Over the past two years we’ve been able to see a 14-mile stretch of the freeway open to traffic, witness the start of construction on new segments and mark many, many milestones along the way.

West Valley commuters already know this, but the once two-lane roadway really is transforming into a modern freeway right in front of our eyes.

And, that transformation continues still, as you can see in the video above.

Work is in the final stages on the segment between Mountain View Boulevard and Peoria Avenue –construction should be complete in fall of this year. But before that, drivers will notice a big difference in mid-July. Traffic, which is presently traveling on the completed northbound lanes while crews work on the southbound side, will begin using both north- and southbound lanes on July 15.

Construction also is well underway on the Peoria Avenue-Thomas Road stretch. Work on that portion of the Loop 303 is expected to be complete in fall 2014.

Then, there’s the big Loop 303/I-10 traffic interchange. It’s more than 60 percent complete and should be open to drivers by fall 2014. A traffic switch is planned along I-10 in mid-July and late-August.

When complete, the Loop 303 will stretch 39 miles from I-17 to I-10. Not only is it expected to provide both commercial and residential growth in the West Valley, it’s also going to provide a fast and convenient travel option for motorists.

“It’s going to be really great for commuters,” says ADOT Senior Community Relations Officer Michelle Thompson. “If you work or live in the West Valley, this is really going to cut down on your drive time.”

Check out some of our previous blog posts.

If you’ve driven the Loop 303 recently, you know that construction is now in full swing from I-10 all the way up to Mountain View Boulevard near US 60 (Grand Avenue)…

Crews are working to turn what was a two-lane roadway into a modern freeway (three lanes in each direction).

While the entire corridor won’t be finished until 2014, there is a section in Surprise – from Peoria Avenue to Mountain View Boulevard – that is nearly 90 percent complete. That means by around mid-July, drivers in the West Valley will notice a big difference along this six-mile stretch!

Not only will there be three lanes in each direction, but the project also includes a median, auxiliary lanes and signalized traffic interchanges at Bell, Greenway, Waddell and Cactus Roads.

The freeway will be essentially finished (along the Peoria Avenue to Mountain View Boulevard portion only), but crews will need to come back in the fall to place rubberized asphalt.

On the project site Right now, crews have paved most of the southbound lanes. You might remember that the northbound side was completed first (north- and southbound traffic now travels along a portion of the improved northbound lanes).

Retaining walls and the sound walls are up, too.

Crews continue to work on curb and gutters, lights, fencing, and cable barriers. They’ll also be stabilizing the slopes on the project with seeding and wattles. On the heels of this section’s completion, a landscaping project will start up to spruce up the freeway-facing areas.

Drivers will also notice that the portable batch plant will soon be moved from its current spot at Greenway Road to a location further south, so that it may be used for other portions of the Loop 303.

Drivers might also have observed two piles of dirt near the Grand Avenue and Loop 303 intersection. That is dirt that’s been excavated as a part of this project. It will be recycled and used once work starts on the 303/Grand Avenue traffic interchange.

Select photo to view album.

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!

To mark the milestone, we thought we’d share a look at the project’s progress. So, enjoy the photos, and for more information, there are a few important sites you can continue to check regularly:

• For updates on all things Loop 303 and to take a virtual drive of the interchange, visit the project page.
• For details on how construction will impact your commute, check out the closures and restrictions page.
• And, of course, you can always revisit some of our previous project posts here on the blog!

Driven the Loop 303 lately?

If you have, you know things are looking very different than they did about a year ago…

That’s when work got under way on a project designed to transform the two-lane roadway into a modern urban freeway.*

Right now construction on the segment from Peoria Avenue to Mountain View Boulevard is 60 percent complete and crews are getting ready to switch traffic over to the newly completed northbound lanes so work can continue on the southbound lanes – more on that tomorrow.

Today we’re focused on how far the project has come!

It was just April when the project was at the 30 percent mark. Back then, work was wrapping up on the bridges being built at Waddell and Greenway roads.

Now crews are working on the Cactus Road bridge … they’re also working on finishing touches for those northbound lanes – things like curbs and gutters, retaining walls, signage and striping (see photos).

After the big traffic switch (again, more on that tomorrow!), crews will immediately get started on building the southbound lanes. So, commuters who regularly drive the 303 can expect to see a lot of the work they’ve been seeing for the past year – just on the other side of the freeway.

More on the project
This portion of the Loop 303 Improvement Project is scheduled to wrap up by fall 2013. When complete, this six mile stretch of Loop 303 will include three lanes in each direction with a median, auxiliary lanes and signalized traffic interchanges at Bell, Greenway, Waddell and Cactus Roads.

* Today we’re just talking about a six-mile stretch of the Loop 303 between Mountain View Boulevard and Peoria Avenue. The entire freeway stretches from I-10 in Goodyear to I-17 in Phoenix and a few different projects are under way along the 39-mile span.