South Mountain Freeway

The South Mountain Freeway has been open less than one full month, but most drivers already refer to Arizona’s newest freeway by its number: 202. There are now three segments of the Loop 202 circling the Valley.

But to those involved in building Arizona’s largest-ever freeway construction project, other numbers are far more meaningful. With hard hats in hand, here are some of those numbers. Click on the figures to see pop-up photo examples from the past three years of construction. 

PHOENIX – After spending time in temporary nurseries, more than 1,000 saguaro cactuses, palo verde trees and other native plants removed from the path of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway are now being used to grace the 22-mile corridor.

Other plants salvaged and being replanted for the Arizona Department of Transportation’s largest-ever highway project include ironwood and mesquite trees, as well as ocotillo and barrel cactuses

John Halikowski, ADOT director, shares the strong partnerships that have led to the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway being open to drivers.

PHOENIX – The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway is open to traffic, providing a much needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix while improving the quality of life in a fast-growing region.

The freeway opened Saturday, Dec. 21, three days after a grand opening ceremony that featured Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski and other Valley leaders.

We are close to when the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway will be open to traffic. Before that happens, you can see what makes this addition to our highway system unique in this video.

PHOENIX – For those building the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, it’s obvious which vehicles belong in the 22-mile work zone. Many are very large. Smaller vehicles have flashing lights, and some have brightly colored flags waving high in the air to let others know they are in the area.

PHOENIX – Two sections of 59th Avenue along the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway will soon become one-way streets as new frontage roads open.

Beginning Saturday, Oct. 19, 59th Avenue will carry only northbound traffic between Lower Buckeye and Buckeye roads. A new frontage road on the west side of the future freeway will carry southbound traffic.

PHOENIX – Connect 202 Partners, the developer building the 22-mile Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, and 10 subcontractors on the project have combined to achieve three on-the-job training goals.

Participants in the training, which is required for Arizona Department of Transportation projects that receive federal funding, are members of minority groups, women and economically disadvantaged individuals.

Not only will both entrances to 40th St. Park & Ride in Ahwatukee reopen, but a new interchange from the South Mountain Freeway will also help people get there.

The South Mountain Freeway’s first new interchange at 40th Street has opened on schedule, an important step forward for the state’s largest-ever freeway construction project.

As we work toward getting the South Mountain Freeway completed on time, expect some road closures over the next few weeks.

With fiscal year 2019 now behind us, ADOT Director John Halikowski talks about what the agency has crossed off it's to-do list.

PHOENIX – After construction on 40 bridges over more than two years, workers have placed the final girder for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s single largest-ever freeway construction project.

Crews with Connect 202 Partners, the freeway developer, lowered the 91-foot, 77,000-pound girder into place recently at the interchange under construction at Desert Foothills Parkway in Ahwatukee. This work will be followed by pouring the concrete deck for the overpass later this month.

PHOENIX – With all bridge girders in place, frontage road construction underway and an overpass built over railroad tracks, among other milestones, Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway construction continues advancing along the 59th Avenue alignment south of Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway) in west Phoenix.

In the first half of 2019, crews working on this Arizona Department of Transportation project have made significant progress along the Papago segment between Interstate 10 and Lower Buckeye Road, including:

Another section of Pecos Road in Ahwatukee is closing permanently as traffic moves onto the future Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway’s westbound lanes between 32nd Street and the Interstate 10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange. Meanwhile, 40th Street is closing temporarily through the work zone to accommodate interchange construction.

PHOENIX – Dobbins Road has reopened to traffic west of 51st Avenue in Laveen with construction nearly complete on a Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway interchange.

As part of the state’s largest single highway project ever, a stretch of Interstate 10 through the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway work zone in west Phoenix will receive a fresh layer of rubberized asphalt, requiring multiple traffic restrictions and closures this month.

With the last girder placed for the South Mountain Freeway interchange on I-10 in west Phoenix, ride along as we soar above the work zone.

Two years after construction began on an interchange connecting Interstate 10 and the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, crews have placed the final bridge girders needed for this huge Arizona Department of Transportation project in west Phoenix.