South Mountain Freeway

We're taking a look back at how the art along the one-year-old South Mountain Freeway came together. 

For Immediate Release: Dec. 21, 2020
Contact: ADOT Public Information Office
[email protected]

South Mountain Freeway marks first anniversary
State’s largest freeway construction project opened in December 2019

PHOENIX – Just one year ago the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway opened to great fanfare, with a grand opening ceremony led by Governor Doug Ducey and other Arizona leaders a few days before it was opened to traffic on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019.

PHOENIX – The final major pieces of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway - a 6-mile shared-use path and an interchange at 32nd Street added at the request of area residents - are now open.

The shared-use path, which runs from 40th Street on the east to 17th Avenue on the west, is designed to provide a place for people to exercise outdoors along the former Pecos Road alignment.

Our traveler information website, AZ511.gov, now offers views from the South Mountain Freeway. 

The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway is up for an award, but whether it receives the award is up to you!

To build the best possible shared used path along the South Mountain Freeway, ADOT went and talked to the experts - the bicyclists and other residents who will use it.

Three ADOT projects from the last year have been recognized as some of the best in the industry in the 2020 America's Transportation Awards.

We're very excited for the shared-use path along the South Mountain Freeway to open, but it's not quite ready yet! That's why we are asking folks to please wait until everything is done to start enjoying it.

PHOENIX – The final two elements of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway in the Ahwatukee area are scheduled to be completed in October.

The interchange at 32nd Street and the 6-mile shared-use path will open together once both are completed, barring any unexpected delays. Both had originally been scheduled to open in September, but delays related to COVID-19 have slowed the work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

How long is the South Mountain Freeway? How wide are the lanes? How did we set the speed limit? ADOT Kids asked, and we answer. Plus we share everyone's freeway designs. 

Please take our quiz and then see how well your parents or friends can do.

Imagine the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway without any designs on its bridges, ramps and sound walls? What drawings and colors would you use? What plants would line the roadway? This activity makes you the designer. 

PHOENIX – For the next 10 days, eastbound drivers should watch for delays on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway while construction crews continue placing rubberized asphalt on the central and eastern sections.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has taken advantage of lighter traffic during the current public health situation to extend hours for freeway construction and maintenance. In the past, most work has been limited to nights and weekends to limit traffic congestion.

PHOENIX – Drivers traveling west on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway may experience delays from Thursday night through Monday morning as Arizona Department of Transportation crews continue paving in the mountain pass area.

The left two lanes of westbound Loop 202 will be closed between 17th Avenue and Estrella Drive from 10 p.m. Thursday, April 2, until 10 p.m. Friday, April 3. The right three lanes will then be closed in the same area until 5 a.m. Monday, April 6. In addition, the westbound on- and off-ramps at Vee Quiva Way will be closed.

For businesses along its route, the South Mountain Freeway is proving to be a time saver.

PHOENIX – For many drivers in the southwest Valley, flooding on the Salt River meant a bridge at 51st Avenue was their primary option to cross the river. But with the opening of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway three months ago, drivers have a new all-weather option with twice as many lanes to move traffic.

Heavier normal winter rain prompted Salt River Project releases from dams east of Phoenix recently, closing riverbed crossings at 67th and 91st avenues this week. There is no indication when those crossings will reopen.

As your friend drives on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway in Ahwatukee – eyes on the road, drivers – sneak a peek off the south side of the road. What you see might at first look like a ribbon of dirt in the desert. But take a closer look and you’ll recognize what’s going on.

The shared-use path planned along the new freeway is taking shape.

The path, most of it on the former Pecos Road alignment, has been cleared and manicured. It will run 6 miles, from 40th Street on the east to 17th Avenue on the west, following the contour of the desert.

PHOENIX – With 30 years of maintenance part of the public-private partnership behind the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, taxpayers will face no additional cost to address spots next to some West Valley interchanges where the surface asphalt has deteriorated.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will hold freeway developer Connect 202 Partners accountable for repairing the problem and is monitoring these spots, which are next to some West Valley interchanges, to ensure the safety of drivers.

Designing a freeway includes quite a bit of thought about how it will look beyond the travel lanes. That's why we make sure Valley freeways have designs that reflect the history and natural beauty of the areas they pass through. 

The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway is the latest reflection of that commitment. When designing the 22-mile freeway, ADOT took care in picking how sound walls, bridges and more would look, down to the lines, paint colors, landscaping and ground cover, including land-form graphics. 

PHOENIX – While providing a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix, the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway offers drivers a variety of distinctive designs and landscaping influenced by the natural beauty and history along its 22 miles.