PHOENIX – To help keep Ahwatukee Foothills traffic moving during construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin widening the eastbound lanes of Pecos Road on Monday, Jan. 16, to accommodate two-way traffic.

This work, which includes creating two additional travel lanes, will allow ADOT and Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for design and construction of the 22-mile-long freeway, to maintain two lanes of Pecos Road in each direction during most phases of the largest single highway project in state history.

As part of the process to complete the interim roadway configuration by March, when freeway construction is scheduled to begin in the Pecos Segment, those using Pecos Road should prepare for the following:

• Closing shoulders and bike lanes
• Relocating street lights and installing temporary traffic signals
• Closing the Pecos Road entrance to the 40th Street/Pecos Road Park-and-Ride (access will be maintained from 40th Street)
• Paving the existing median
• Widening the south side of the eastbound lanes

During construction of the interim roadway, Pecos Road may be narrowed to one lane in each direction on weekdays, and several weekend closures will be necessary to relocate utilities, install temporary traffic signals, restripe the roadway and place barricades.

The speed limit on the interim roadway will be reduced to 40 mph to accommodate two-way traffic, and there will be no shoulders. Lane restrictions and periodic closures of Pecos Road will be necessary at times during freeway construction.

Once freeway construction is complete in the Pecos Segment, traffic using the interim road will be moved to freeway lanes in the final stages of construction. The South Mountain Freeway will open to through traffic when work is complete on all segments in late 2019.

The South Mountain Freeway will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, it will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system.

ADOT encourages the public to stay informed on the South Mountain Freeway project and sign up for updates and weekly traffic alerts to receive advance notifications of lane restrictions and street closures by visiting SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – With Valley drivers benefiting from several freeway improvement projects completed during 2016, including the widening of Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area, the Arizona Department of Transportation is poised to start or complete several Phoenix-area projects in the coming year.

ADOT’s highlights for the regional freeway system in 2017 include:

• Beginning construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. Work scheduled for the first half of 2017 includes setting foundations for some of the 40 bridges planned, widening eastbound lanes of Pecos Road to accommodate two-way traffic during construction, creating access roads near the freeway’s future interchange with Interstate 10 in west Phoenix and creating drainage structures. This 22-mile direct link between the East Valley and West Valley will open by late 2019.
• Opening the south half of the Interstate 10/Loop 303 interchange in Goodyear by fall. The $63 million project, launched last February, will complete freeway-to-freeway ramps and extend Loop 303 south to Van Buren Street. Loop 303 traffic will then have direct connections to and from Cotton Lane south of I-10. The north half of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange opened to traffic in August 2014.
• Resurfacing an 11-mile stretch of Interstate 17 between 19th and Peoria avenues in Phoenix in spring 2017. Crews will add a new layer of smooth, durable rubberized asphalt along the Black Canyon Freeway when warmer spring weather provides the best conditions for the resurfacing work. Rubberized asphalt, which has been used on Valley freeways for several years, includes rubber from shredded recycled tires as part of the pavement’s mixture.
• Completion of the new Bell Road/Grand Avenue interchange in Surprise by spring 2017. The $42 million project started last February. Crews opened the new bridge carrying Bell Road over Grand Avenue and the parallel BNSF Railway tracks on Nov. 22. New ramps connecting Grand Avenue to and from the Bell Road bridge are scheduled for completion in time for the Cactus League baseball season in late February.
• Installing Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) traffic-management technology between Ray and Broadway roads in Mesa. The project, scheduled to start by summer 2017, will add several overhead message signs, closed-circuit traffic cameras and traffic-flow sensors along the Santan Freeway. The technology allows ADOT to provide travelers with updated freeway conditions. A current ADOT Freeway Management System project along Loop 202 between Dobson and Ray roads is scheduled for completion in spring 2017.

ADOT’s 2016 Valley freeway construction accomplishments include:

• Completing $109 million in Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) improvements between Loop 101 and Broadway Road, adding new travel lanes between Loop 101 and Gilbert Road, extending HOV lanes by 11 miles between Gilbert and Broadway Roads and resurfacing the roadway with rubberized asphalt.
• Completing $74 million in Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) improvements between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area, a project that added new right lanes and paved 11 miles of roadway with rubberized asphalt.
• Widening Loop 303 to three lanes in each direction between Grand Avenue (US 60) and Happy Valley Parkway in the northwest Valley, a $30 million project that wrapped up in 2016 with rubberized asphalt paving.
• Performing preliminary construction for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.  Work began in September with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange in the Ahwatukee area.
• Opening State Route 51 ramps to and from Black Mountain Boulevard at the Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) interchange. ADOT teamed with the city of Phoenix on this $17.8 million project to improve access in the Desert Ridge area of northeast Phoenix.

ADOT works with the Maricopa Association of Governments, the Phoenix area’s metropolitan planning organization, to schedule and deliver projects as part of the 20-year Regional Transportation Plan approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. Funding sources include a countywide half-cent sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements as well as the Phoenix region’s share of state and federal transportation funds.

PHOENIX – Preliminary work on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway will require permanently closing the Pecos Road entrance to the 40th Street/Pecos Road Park-and-Ride location, which will remain accessible via 40th Street. The Pecos Road entrance will close late Friday, Jan. 13. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation and Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for the 22-mile-long freeway corridor, will soon start work to convert the current eastbound lanes of Pecos Road to carry traffic in both directions during construction of the freeway.

The park-and-ride turn lanes along Pecos Road (located along the south end of the park-and-ride) will be permanently closed, as they are located in the future freeway’s path. 

As part of its commitment to the community and public transportation, ADOT is working closely with the Phoenix Public Transit Department, the largest member of the Valley Metro regional transit system, to ensure that service at the park-and-ride won’t be interrupted. On a typical weekday, the 40th Street/Pecos Road Park-and-Ride accommodates more than 400 vehicles.

You can stay informed on the South Mountain Freeway project and sign up for updates and weekly traffic alerts at SouthMountainFreeway.com. More than 10,000 people have already signed up for traffic alerts.

Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction equipment and personnel.

The South Mountain Freeway will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Construction scheduled to start early next year on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway may not be as visual as the 22 miles of uninterrupted asphalt to come, but each task lays a foundation for completing this link between the West Valley and East Valley by the end of 2019.

Along the freeway corridor in the first half of 2017, you may see crews setting foundations for some of the 40 bridges that will be built, including two 2,700-foot-long spans across the Salt River. Or widening eastbound lanes of Pecos Road to maintain two-way traffic flow during construction. Or creating access roads at the freeway’s future interchange with Interstate 10 in west Phoenix.

Other construction scheduled for early 2017 by Connect202 Partners, the developer responsible for designing and building the $1.77 billion freeway, includes creating drainage structures and roadway embankments, relocating utilities and continuing to extend HOV lanes west from the Loop 202 Santan Freeway.

As mainline work starts on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s largest-ever highway project, detailed information on these and other construction plans, as well as traffic impacts, is available at SouthMountainFreeway.com. You can also sign up there to receive project alerts.

Freeway construction is divided into four segments: I-10 Papago, between the I-10 Papago Freeway interchange at 59th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road; Salt River, from Lower Buckeye Road to 51st Avenue near Estrella Drive; Center, from 51st Avenue to 32nd Lane; and Pecos Road, from 32nd Lane to the I-10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange. Click on the map above to see it at full size.

In the first half of 2017, construction will occur in all but the Center segment, where work isn’t scheduled to begin until mid-2018. For more information on construction planned in particular segment, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com (click Construction Info).

Preliminary construction began in September with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange, including extending Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the Pecos Road shoulders to near 48th Street. On the west side of the project, utility work has included relocating large Salt River Project siphons carrying water under I-10.

The 22-mile freeway, expected to open late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

PHOENIX – Workers have laid the first pavement for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, pouring and finishing concrete to widen eastbound Pecos Road where it connects with the Loop 202 Santan Freeway at Interstate 10. 

This work, part of preliminary construction that began in September, adds to the shoulder of a half-mile stretch where crews are extending high-occupancy vehicle lanes between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and 48th Street. 

Next month, this work will move to the median.

“This is just the first of what will be many milestones for the South Mountain Freeway,” said Rob Samour, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s senior deputy state engineer for major projects. “The sooner we can deliver this project, the sooner we can bring traffic relief to motorists traveling between East Valley and West Valley.”

Using a concrete paving machine, workers poured and finished the concrete last week along the eastbound Pecos Road shoulder. Once the concrete cures, the stretch will get new curb and gutters and place a concrete barrier wall along the embankment.

Completing this first phase of work in early 2017 will allow crews to start widening the existing eastbound Pecos Road lanes to maintain two-way traffic flow along the entire Pecos corridor during all phases of construction.

Motorists will be able to travel on the 22-mile-long freeway corridor by late 2019.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – A 300-foot-long cut along the embankments of Interstate 10 near 55th Avenue is the first sign of construction in the West Valley for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

Crews have started utility relocation work that’s needed before the Arizona Department of Transportation can start on the I-10/Loop 202 interchange at 59th Avenue, which is scheduled to begin in 2017.

The utility work includes relocating large Salt River Project (SRP) siphons carrying water under I-10.

In addition to the traffic interchange, improvements for the South Mountain Freeway will include widening I-10 from 43rd to 75th avenues with auxiliary lanes in each direction and adding two-mile-long access roads to improve traffic flow between 51st and 67th avenues. The new access roads will carry two lanes of traffic in each direction parallel to I-10.

With eight siphons needing to be excavated and moved, a siphon at 55th Avenue is the first to be relocated. Now that the earthwork is completed, crews are placing a 42-inch concrete pipe inside a 60-inch steel casing underneath the freeway.

I-10 motorists will see eastbound and westbound lane and ramp restrictions from 51st to 67th avenues through early 2017 as this work continues.

Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction equipment and personnel.

The 22-mile South Mountain Freeway, expected to open by late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

Construction of the South Mountain Freeway began in September with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work includes extending Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the shoulders to Pecos Road near 48th Street

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a request by Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway opponents for an emergency injunction pending appeal, a ruling that keeps the Arizona Department of Transportation project on track to begin construction of the mainline freeway early next year.

It’s the fourth time courts have rejected attempts to halt construction of this long-planned link between the East Valley and West Valley.

“With the support of the Federal Highway Administration, the Maricopa Association of Governments and the city of Phoenix, we are moving forward with a critically needed freeway that will make this region a better place to live and do business,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “This long-planned alternative to an increasingly strained Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix will better position this region for continued growth in its population and its economy.”

The order, released Monday, means that construction can proceed while the opponents’ appeal is pending before the 9th Circuit in San Francisco.

In October, the U.S. District Court in Phoenix denied the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction, saying, in part, that they are unlikely to prevail on appeal. That followed the court’s August ruling granting the motions for summary judgment by the Federal Highway Administration and ADOT, concluding that the agencies complied with federal law in moving forward with the project.

In July 2015, the court rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction that would have halted all work leading up to the start of construction.

The 22-mile South Mountain Freeway, approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley by connecting Interstate 10 at the Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange and the I-10 Papago Freeway near 59th Avenue.

Construction began in September with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange that include extending Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the shoulders to Pecos Road near 48th Street. Construction of the mainline freeway is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.