PHOENIX – In the late 1920s, modern architect Frank Lloyd Wright arrived in Arizona to design a desert resort planned for the foothills of South Mountain, in what is now Ahwatukee.

To produce drawings for the project, Wright and his colleagues built a temporary settlement, called “Ocatillo,” near what is now 32nd Street and two-thirds of a mile north of what will be the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. The name intentionally misspelled ocotillo, the desert plant that grew in abundance there.

While the stock market crash of 1929 ended Wright’s project, nearly a century later his connection to the area will influence how drivers experience the South Mountain Freeway.

Working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the Arizona Department of Transportation and its project team are honoring Wright as they design aesthetics for bridges, sound walls and other freeway elements.

“Frank Lloyd Wright had a strong presence at the base of South Mountain before Ahwatukee was even built,” said Joe Salazar, ADOT’s roadside development, project landscape and architecture coordinator. “Frank Lloyd Wright was inspired by Arizona’s desert surroundings, and the South Mountain Freeway will tell that story.”

One of the freeway’s five distinctive aesthetic character areas, between Ahwatukee Foothills and the Interstate 10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange, is named for and influenced by Wright’s Ocatillo settlement. Simple materials in the patterns on architectural features in that freeway segment will celebrate that area’s desert landscape and vegetation.

And preliminary plans for the entire freeway call for using horizontal lines, featured in many of Wright’s designs, in different ways. The wood walls of Wright’s Ocatillo settlement featured bold horizontal lines to echo the desert floor and the area’s long horizons.

The South Mountain Freeway’s sound walls and retaining walls will have horizontal lines, in contrast with the vertical lines used along other Valley freeways.

“These horizontal lines evoke a sense of motion, a perfect complement to the energy of a freeway,” said architect Victor Sidy, who is working with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation on the project. “As one travels through the length of the freeway, these lines will serve as a connective thread that will narrate a story of transition from the city to the natural desert and back to the city.”

Aesthetics are an essential part of any ADOT design project, creating looks that complement the surroundings, help tell an area’s story and create a more appealing environment for drivers.

In addition to Ocatillo Settlement, the South Mountain Freeway’s distinctive aesthetic character areas will be: Cholla Ocotillo between Elliott Road and east of Desert Foothills Parkway; River Bank between the Salt River Bridge and Elliot Road; Leaf Portal between Roosevelt Avenue and the Salt River Bridge; and Mountain Urban Link between the I-10 (Papago Freeway)/Loop 202 interchange and Roosevelt Avenue.

There will be five associated landscape character areas – Ahwatukee Neighborhood, Ahwatukee Foothills, Laveen Village, Estrella Village and Interstate 10 Traffic Interchange – with specific plants, color accents, ground treatments and other elements.

Together, these character areas will tell stories by highlighting land use, land forms and history. The Ahwatukee Foothills/Cholla Ocotillo segment, for example, will feature desert plants and simple shapes based on the forms of native cholla and ocotillo cactuses, while aesthetics and landscaping in the Laveen Village/River Bank segment will speak to that area’s agricultural heritage.

In early November, plans to incorporate Wright’s influences brought ADOT’s landscape and aesthetics team, along with representatives of Connect 202 Partners, the development group designing and building the South Mountain Freeway, to Taliesin West in Scottsdale. The national historic landmark, Wright’s winter home until his death in 1959, is home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

With representatives of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, participants refined design plans for sound walls, bridges and other structures and drew further inspiration from Wright’s work. The refinements will be reflected in a landscape architecture and aesthetics design concept report developed with input from ADOT, Federal Highway Administration, city of Phoenix and Maricopa Association of Governments, the regional transportation planning agency.

Wright’s influence will be evident in other ways. In the Mountain Urban Link character area, for example, interlocking L-shapes planned for design elements are inspired by the work of both Wright and Paolo Soleri, the renowned modern architect behind Arcosanti and Cosanti in Arizona.

ADOT’s Salazar called the South Mountain Freeway a rare opportunity to create aesthetics and landscaping for an entire freeway corridor at once rather than in stages. That opportunity also creates a challenge that requires additional thought and consideration, Salazar added.

“We are thankful for the collaboration with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and others, including the Cosanti Foundation, to develop a freeway corridor that will tell stories as it enhances the quality of life in this region,” Salazar said.

The 22-mile 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 I-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 – When the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway opens, many of the trees, cactuses and other plants that will blend into the surrounding landscape will be transplants from the freeway’s path.

Crews have started removing native vegetation, including saguaros and palo verde trees, in the 22-mile corridor so it can be cared for during construction and eventually replanted alongside the freeway.

For more than 30 years, restoring native plants has been an integral part of many Arizona Department of Transportation projects, including the recent expansion of the Loop 303 in the West Valley and the Loop 101 Pima Freeway widening in Scottsdale.

Doing so is good for the environment and makes roadsides more appealing, said ADOT Chief Landscape Architect LeRoy Brady, who worked on ADOT’s first plant salvage effort in the mid-1980s along State Route 87.

“ADOT takes great pride in maintaining the highway scenery by preserving some of these long-standing plants that are part of Arizona’s history,” Brady said. “ADOT dedicates funding for this work, and it helps promote sustainable practices and contributes to the long-term viability of the desert ecosystem. An added benefit is the local communities really seem to support this work.”

In September, landscapers took an inventory of more than 1,000 trees, cactuses and native plants along the Pecos Road alignment that are candidates for plant salvage. Other types of plants that will be salvaged include ironwood and mesquite trees, and ocotillo and barrel cactuses.

Last week, crews began transplanting some of these trees and cactuses, which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, with the aid of heavy equipment. These will be moved over the next two weeks to a nursery in ADOT’s right of way, as has been done on other Valley freeway projects.

The nursery, which includes an irrigation system, will serve as the plants’ temporary home until they are transplanted upon completion of a freeway segment.

Landscapers decided which plants to salvage based on factors including the species, size, health and aesthetic qualities. Plants that aren’t likely to survive the relocation will be permanently removed.

The 22-mile 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.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Work on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway remains on track with the U.S. District Court in Phoenix denying a third bid by opponents to halt construction.

An order released Wednesday, Oct. 26, denied the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction, saying, in part, that they are unlikely to prevail on appeal.

“I believe that the completed South Mountain Freeway will provide a great overall economic benefit to the growing Maricopa County region, and relief to users of the system, particularly where Interstate 10 passes through downtown Phoenix,” Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski said. “We are moving forward with a project supported by Maricopa County voters and our partners – the city of Phoenix and the Maricopa Association of Governments – that will make the Phoenix metro area a better place to live and do business.”

In August, the court granted the Federal Highway Administration’s and ADOT’s motions for summary judgment, 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.

Opponents have appealed the August ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 22-mile 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. Also underway is plant salvage work along the Pecos Road segment.

Construction of the mainline freeway is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Nearly 800 people attended three public meetings on preliminary design plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, providing input and asking questions that will guide final design of the 22-mile-long link between the West Valley and East Valley.

The meetings, held in Ahwatukee Foothills, Laveen and west Phoenix, provided an opportunity for residents to learn more about the freeway’s alignment, traffic interchanges, noise walls, landscaping and aesthetics.

Representatives from the Arizona Department of Transportation and the developer, Connect 202 Partners, answered questions, received feedback and encouraged attendees to provide comments on detailed design plans.

“The South Mountain Freeway has generated significant interest, as evidenced by the great attendance at these design meetings,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy state engineer of major projects.

All input is being assessed by ADOT’s development team and, when possible, will influence how the freeway is constructed.

A comprehensive summary of the public meetings, which will be posted at SouthMountainFreeway.com in November, will address any questions that remained unanswered after the three meetings. Participants submitted about 500 comment forms and question cards.

For those who were unable to attend the meetings, the presentations have been posted online and the public can provide feedback through Thursday, Oct. 20, in these ways: 

• Online: SouthMountainFreeway.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558
• Mail: ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The latest project information is available via the project website at SouthMountainFreeway.com, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website) and the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558). 

Construction of the South Mountain Freeway began in September with improvements to the Interstate 10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work includes 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.

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 when it opens to traffic by the end of 2019.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Public meetings beginning next week will allow community members to review and provide feedback on updated design plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

The project development team, Connect 202 Partners, and Arizona Department of Transportation will hold three meetings on preliminary design plans that have been further developed since they were last circulated for public comment in 2013 along with the Draft Environment Impact Statement:

• Tuesday, Sept. 27, Desert Vista High School, Multipurpose Room, 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, Betty Fairfax High School, Multipurpose Room, 8225 S. 59th Ave., Laveen
• Thursday, Oct. 6, Fowler Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix

The meetings are scheduled for 6-8 p.m., with a one-hour presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. and a question-and-answer session afterward. Following the presentation, attendees can visit various information stations and speak with project representatives until 8 p.m.

The meetings will provide information on the freeway’s location, profile, interchange configurations and noise barrier locations, as well as initial concepts for landscaping and visual appearance.

Construction of the South Mountain Freeway began last week with improvements to the Interstate 10/Loop 202 interchange in the East Valley. Work includes the extension of the existing Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the shoulders from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 interchange. This initial phase of work will be completed prior to the construction of the mainline freeway, which is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

For those unable to attend, the presentations will be posted online following the first meeting. The public can provide feedback through Oct. 20:

• Online: SouthMountainFreeway.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558
• Mail: ADOT Communications, 1655 W. Jackson St., MD 126F, Phoenix, AZ 85007

The latest project information is available via the project website at SouthMountainFreeway.com, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website) and from the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558). 

PHOENIX – Planning for the South Mountain Freeway took into account rapid growth expected in the East Valley and West Valley and the substantial time savings drivers will see from having an alternative to an already strained Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix.

According to projections for 2035, someone taking the South Mountain Freeway from Gilbert, Chandler or Queen Creek to a job in the West Valley will save up to 25 minutes on average versus traveling on I-10 between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and the South Mountain Freeway’s connection with I-10 in west Phoenix.

A West Valley resident will see similar time savings heading to the East Valley or destinations south along I-10, including Tucson, according to the projections.

Identifying the South Mountain Freeway as a way to help keep the region and its economy moving forward, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Maricopa Association of Governments and Federal Highway Administration considered the social and economic cost of time lost in stop-and-go traffic.

“We are building the South Mountain Freeway as a regional transportation solution,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “The need for a high-speed, efficient transportation corridor linking the southeast Valley and the West Valley dates back to the 1980s, when regional transportation planners foresaw the tremendous growth that was projected to occur in the area. Connecting people with employment centers and more in the East Valley and West Valley will benefit the region’s economy and quality of life, and the recent and projected population growth in Maricopa County has really driven the need to expand our transportation network in the Valley.”

ADOT plans freeways for the future, and what the future holds for the Phoenix metropolitan area is continued growth in parts of the East Valley and West Valley that will be connected most directly by the South Mountain Freeway. As a result, these areas will see the greatest time savings while the entire region benefits.

When it opens in 2019, this long-planned link is projected to deliver a savings of 15 million hours of travel time, worth $200 million, over the course of a year. That’s time saved in stop-and-go traffic through the Interstate 10 Broadway Curve, the portion east of downtown Phoenix that runs through Tempe and on surface streets where motorists try to get around freeway slowing.

As the regional transportation planning agency responsible for determining which highway projects are funded in the Valley, the Maricopa Association of Governments developed these and other projections through transportation modeling, socioeconomic modeling and other means in coordination with ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration. The results demonstrate the clear need for and clear benefits from a South Mountain Freeway.

According to the Maricopa Association of Governments’ projections, Maricopa County will have 2 million more residents in 2035, many of them commuting to the 1.2 million additional jobs forecast for the region. And about half of that growth, which includes 700,000 additional dwellings, is expected in areas that will benefit most from the South Mountain Freeway.

Transportation planners estimate that up to 190,000 vehicles will use the South Mountain Freeway each day in 2035, which is comparable to other Valley freeways.

“Benefits of completing the freeway will be felt immediately, as drivers will have alternate routes to choose from,” Halikowski said. “Time lost while stuck in stop-and-go traffic, especially on the strained I-10 corridor through downtown Phoenix, already costs the region’s economy. As the Valley continues to grow, that time cost will grow along with it.”

The Broadway Curve sees nearly 300,000 vehicles per day, making it one of the region’s most congested areas as drivers head to and from the East Valley and points south on Interstate 10. With the South Mountain Freeway in place, traffic volume along this segment is expected to be reduced by approximately 32,000 vehicles.

The South Mountain Freeway also will alleviate growing congestion on local roadways such as Baseline Road and Southern Avenue.

The South Mountain Freeway will run east and west along Pecos Road and then north and south between 55th and 63rd avenues, connecting with I-10 on each end.

ADOT started the first phase of freeway construction this week at the I-10/Loop 202 interchange. As part of the South Mountain Freeway project, crews are widening the shoulders and extending the existing Loop 202 high occupancy lanes (HOV) lanes from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 interchange. This initial phase of construction will be completed prior to work starting on the mainline freeway, which is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – The first phase of construction on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway will begin on Monday, Sept. 19, with improvements at the Interstate 10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange in the East Valley.

The Arizona Department of Transportation project will widen the shoulders and extend the existing Loop 202 high-occupancy vehicle lanes from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 interchange. Crews will start Monday night by placing temporary concrete barriers through the work zone prior to the Tuesday morning’s rush hour traffic.

This initial phase of construction at the I-10/Loop 202 interchange will be completed prior to work starting on the mainline freeway, which is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

One lane of eastbound Pecos Road traffic traveling to eastbound Loop 202 will be maintained during this initial construction phase and will include reduced shoulders. Westbound traffic will not be affected initially.

Drivers should be prepared to slow down and merge safely in the work zone. The posted speed limit will be 45 mph.

Completing this phase of work by the end of the year will allow crews to start on a detour route along Pecos Road for when freeway construction is occurring on the current alignment of westbound Pecos Road. ADOT will widen the existing eastbound Pecos Road lanes to maintain two-way traffic flow during all phases of construction.

When construction of the mainline freeway begins early next year, all Pecos Road traffic will be temporarily shifted to the eastbound lanes for approximately two years, and two lanes of traffic in each direction will be maintained at most times during construction, with the exception of periodic traffic restrictions at intersections with cross streets.

In addition to the early construction, crews started this week taking inventory of native plants along the Pecos Road right of way that can be removed, stored, maintained and eventually replanted in their permanent locations upon completion of roadway segments. Over the next two months, salvageable plants will be relocated to a temporary nursery.

The 22-mile 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.

The South Mountain Freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and include modern features including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics reflecting the neighboring communities.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

PHOENIX – Thirteen years of public involvement helped shape plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. With the Arizona Department of Transportation preparing to begin construction along the 22-mile corridor, the community can continue providing feedback and seeking information by attending meetings, connecting online and using other resources.

“As with any project, our goals are informing and listening to the public,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy state engineer for major projects. “The South Mountain Freeway is a critical project for the region, and there are many opportunities for the public to stay engaged as we start construction and look forward to opening the freeway corridor by the end of 2019.”

Beginning later this month, ADOT will hold three public meetings to provide details and seek input on preliminary design plans:

• Tuesday, Sept. 27, Desert Vista High School, Multipurpose Room, 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, Betty Fairfax High School, Multipurpose Room, 8225 S. 59th Ave., Laveen
• Thursday, Oct. 6, Fowler Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix

All meetings are scheduled for 6-8 p.m., with presentations beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The meetings will provide information on the freeway’s location, profile, interchange configurations and noise barrier locations, as well as initial concepts for landscaping and visual appearance. The preliminary design has been updated since it was circulated for public comment along with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2013.

Construction is set to begin Monday, Sept. 12, with crews widening the shoulders from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work will also include the extension of the existing Loop 202 HOV lanes. This initial phase of work will be completed prior to the construction of the mainline freeway, which is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

As part of its commitment to public involvement, ADOT is seeking input from anyone with an interest in the freeway. There are several ways to do so:

• Online: azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558

The latest project information is available via the project website at azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website), the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558) and newspaper advertising.

Extensive public input, including feedback provided by the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team that met from 2001 to 2013, informed the study behind the South Mountain Freeway, including

• identifying more than 30 alternative alignments.
• helping determine interchange locations.
• recommending ways to reduce the right of way required.
• proposing ways to minimize other impacts.
• suggesting design options.

During the Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase, ADOT collected and recorded more than 8,000 public, agency and stakeholder comments.

The 22-mile 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.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.