PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will deliver the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway three years sooner and at a cost savings topping $100 million by taking an innovative approach to selecting the team to design, build and maintain the highway.

“This is another example of government working at the speed of business to save taxpayer money and improve the lives of Arizonans,” said Governor Doug Ducey. "Thanks to hard work and collaboration, the South Mountain Freeway will be completed under budget and faster than expected.”

The Department of Transportation finalized a public-private partnership Friday with the project team – Connect 202 Partners – that will serve in all three roles.

“This first-of-its-kind highway contract in Arizona has not only reduced the overall cost but allowed ADOT to accelerate the entire project, meaning motorists will be able to benefit from this critical freeway sooner,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “That’s especially important in light of transportation needs today and into the future.”

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 twice by Maricopa County voters, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system.

Connect 202 Partners will design and build the freeway corridor and provide maintenance for 30 years after construction. The team consists of Fluor Enterprises Inc., Granite Construction Co. and Ames Construction Inc., with Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. as the lead designer.

The fixed $916 million contract for design and construction makes this the largest highway project in state history.

The amount required for the overall project is approximately $122 million less than anticipated because of innovative approaches Connect 202 Partners proposed for construction and engineering, as well as reducing the amount of property that must be acquired for the freeway.

While the phrase public-private partnership may evoke visions of a toll road, that isn’t the case with the South Mountain Freeway. Instead, this agreement, ADOT’s first for a highway project, provides the advantages of lower cost and shorter timeline that come from having one team not only design and build the freeway, but maintain it afterward.

The original plan called for construction of the freeway as nine individual projects. But after receiving an unsolicited proposal for a public-private partnership in 2013, ADOT decided to seek proposals using that approach.

Connect 202 Partners was selected as the “best value” developer in December 2015 following an extensive review that led to a final list of three prospective developer teams in March 2015. ADOT encouraged these teams to propose innovative concepts that would save time and money while adhering to all environmental commitments.

Innovations proposed by Connect 202 Partners include optimizing the design of the freeway to reduce the amount of right-of-way needed and improving efficiency by reducing the amount of earth needing to be hauled by trucks. The project will include construction of a 15-foot-wide multi-use trail along the existing Pecos Road alignment from 40th Street to 17th Avenue.

Even with the lower cost made possible by a public-private partnership agreement, motorists will enjoy the same modern amenities they have been accustomed to for decades, including a high-capacity freeway with four lanes of traffic in each direction including HOV lanes, rubberized asphalt, access-controlled interchanges and aesthetics that reflect the nearby communities.

The South Mountain Freeway, which will be paid for with state, federal and voter-approved regional transportation funding, has been a critical part of the region’s transportation plans since voters approved the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Freeway Program in 1985. It also was part of the Regional Transportation Plan that Maricopa County voters approved in 2004.

“The award provides cost certainty on the largest transportation project in the Regional Transportation Plan,” said Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane, chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments. “We now know the range of savings we can put toward the rest of the freeway program.”

Halikowski said support from the Maricopa Association of Governments, city of Phoenix and Federal Highway Administration has been essential to advancing the South Mountain Freeway.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2016. Pre-construction activities, including geotechnical and utility work and property acquisition and preparation, have been underway since spring 2015 after ADOT received final federal clearance to move forward.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a preferred developer for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which remains on track for construction to begin in summer 2016 as the largest-ever highway project in the state.

This is the first highway public-private partnership in Arizona. While the South Mountain Freeway will not be a toll road, the public-private partnership will allow ADOT to construct the project at an accelerated pace and at a lower cost.

After an unsolicited public-private partnership proposal was submitted in 2013, ADOT sought proposals from qualified teams vying to develop the 22-mile-long freeway, which is the last piece of the Loop 202 system and a critical direct link between the West Valley and East Valley. From the five initial proposals submitted, three finalists were selected after a qualifications assessment to advance in the selection process.

Following an extensive review that included representatives from ADOT, Federal Highway Administration, Maricopa Association of Governments and city of Phoenix, Connect 202 Partners was chosen as the “best value” developer. Key members of the development team include Fluor Enterprises Inc., Granite Construction Co. and Ames Construction Inc., with Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. as the lead designer.

All three teams participating as finalists in the process were encouraged to use innovation and develop alternative concepts to save time and money, while adhering to all environmental commitments. The goal is to create an innovative public-private partnership that will have a private developer design and construct the freeway, as well as maintain the new highway for 30 years.

This public-private partnership will reduce costs to taxpayers while accelerating construction. Typically, a project of this magnitude would be split into several smaller projects, but the South Mountain Freeway will be completed as a single project by one contracting team.

“While ADOT has successfully built and managed hundreds of miles of freeways in the Phoenix metropolitan area, following a public-private partnership path for the first time was an appropriate tool for the South Mountain Freeway,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “ADOT will be able to complete this much-needed project sooner as a result, while increasing the likelihood of saving taxpayer dollars.”

ADOT is expected to finalize the contract with Connect 202 Partners by mid-February. Construction is expected to take up to four years to complete.

“The South Mountain Freeway is a critical piece of the MAG freeway program,” said Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane, chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council. “The freeway has been included in the voter-approved Regional Transportation Plan since 1985 and will provide improved mobility for residents in the MAG region. The design, construction and maintenance of the freeway by a private developer is a unique and innovative approach to delivering this important project.”

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 designed in partnership with the community.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX – Responding to a widely circulated media report that has been corrected, the Arizona Department of Transportation notes that there has been no significant change to the timeline for the South Mountain Freeway project, which is still projected to open to traffic in 2020.

On behalf of the project sponsors, the U.S. Department of Justice on Oct. 20 submitted a request to U.S. District Court for a three-week extension to allow time to complete the administrative record as part of the legal action against the freeway project.

Due to the sheer volume of documents, which spans approximately 30 years, more time was needed to ensure the final record is accurately captured. On Oct. 23, the court granted a three-week extension to complete the administrative record on or before Nov. 16.

This extension is not expected to interfere with the planned summer 2016 start of construction for this long-planned freeway. Meanwhile, pre-construction activities in the corridor continue. Completion of the South Mountain Freeway is still expected to be in early 2020.

PHOENIX – Vacant properties owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation will soon begin to be removed to clear a path for the future Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 system and provide a direct link between the West Valley and East Valley. Nearly 200 vacant properties owned by the state will be razed in advance of freeway construction, which is set to begin in summer 2016.

For more than 20 years, but accelerating since late March, ADOT has been acquiring the necessary right of way for the South Mountain Freeway, including homes, businesses, and agricultural and industrial properties. Now ADOT is ready to begin clearing those properties in preparation for the 2016 start of freeway construction.

Moving forward with these preconstruction activities will ensure that there are no delays to the project and no additional costs to taxpayers.

Following federal regulations for property acquisition and relocation, ADOT has been working with property owners to facilitate their smooth transitions into new locations and providing benefits to the extent allowed by law. In addition to paying market value for property, ADOT offers relocation financial assistance as part of the acquisition process.

During this phase of preconstruction activity, which is expected to start Aug. 26, properties will be fully cleared, including landscaping, foundations and pools. The lots will then be covered with crushed granite gravel to aid in dust control until freeway construction begins in mid-2016.

ADOT is working with the Phoenix Police Department, and has hired private security, to ensure safety and security during the property-clearing process.

The South Mountain Freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. The $1.75 billion project is expected to take about four years to construct under an innovative public-private partnership that will have a private developer design, construct and maintain the freeway for 30 years. This public-private partnership will reduce costs to taxpayers while accelerating construction for this corridor.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX – While the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have not yet had an opportunity to review in detail the legal action filed against the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the agencies are confident that any legal challenges will find that the law was followed in coming to a decision to construct this long-planned freeway.

Following an extensive environmental review process that encompassed more than a decade of comprehensive analysis, with various formal and informal opportunities for the public to learn about the project and provide comment, ADOT received a Record of Decision from the Federal Highway Administration in March 2015 to proceed with the project. Throughout the process, nearly 8,000 formal comments from community members were documented, responded to and considered by the study team in coming to the decision to construct the freeway.

The South Mountain Freeway has been a critical part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Freeway Program since it was first included in funding approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985. It was part of the Regional Transportation Plan funding passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 through Proposition 400, and this freeway is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system necessary for high-quality regional mobility. The South Mountain Freeway will significantly improve travel between the southeast and southwest areas of the Valley and help reduce congestion on Interstate 10. The freeway is also expected to promote economic development in the region.

The freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. Construction of the $1.75 billion project is expected to take about four years under an innovative public-private partnership that will have a private developer design, construct and maintain the freeway for 30 years. This public-private partnership will reduce costs to taxpayers while accelerating construction.

For more information, or to review the extensive environmental documentation, visit https://www.azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX – While the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have not yet had an opportunity to review in detail the legal action filed against the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the agencies are confident that any legal challenges will find that the law was followed in coming to a decision to construct this long-planned freeway.

Following an extensive environmental review process that encompassed more than a decade of comprehensive analysis, with various formal and informal opportunities for the public to learn about the project and provide comment, ADOT received a Record of Decision from the Federal Highway Administration in March 2015 to proceed with the project. Throughout the process, nearly 8,000 formal comments from community members were documented, responded to and considered by the study team in coming to the decision to construct the freeway.

The South Mountain Freeway has been a critical part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Freeway Program since it was first included in funding approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985. It was part of the Regional Transportation Plan funding passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 through Proposition 400, and this freeway is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system necessary for high-quality regional mobility. The South Mountain Freeway will significantly improve travel between the southeast and southwest areas of the Valley and help reduce congestion on Interstate 10. The freeway is also expected to promote economic development in the region.

The freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. Construction of the $1.75 billion project is expected to take about four years under an innovative public-private partnership that will have a private developer design, construct and maintain the freeway for 30 years. This public-private partnership will reduce costs to taxpayers while accelerating construction.

For more information, or to review the extensive environmental documentation, visit www.azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX – As part of the process of moving toward the 2016 start of construction for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, Arizona Department of Transportation crews will begin the preliminarily geotechnical investigation in early May, assessing the condition of soil, rock and depth of groundwater along the freeway alignment.

A geotechnical investigation is designed to provide engineers with data on conditions below the surface, helping to refine construction plans and processes. It will involve soil borings at most future bridge locations – including several at the lengthy Salt River bridge – and rock coring, test pits up to 10 feet deep and other data collection. In all, there are expected to be 49 test borings along the future freeway alignment at depths ranging from 25 to 130 feet below the surface. This equates to about 3,600 feet of soil boring and 870 feet of rock coring.

Materials collected will then be scientifically analyzed to create a profile of subsurface conditions. That data will be used to help refine plans being created by the three development firms that have been selected to submit comprehensive proposals to design, construct and maintain the freeway.

This preliminarily geotechnical work is expected to take about eight weeks to complete, beginning in mid-May; early this month, crews will begin marking locations for testing. There is no impact to residents or the traveling public expected as a result of this preliminarily work, which will occur only during daytime hours.

No work will be conducted within South Mountain Park.

The freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. The $1.9 billion project is expected to take about four years to construct.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX – The Valley’s Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, proposed by regional planners since the 1980s, has received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration, paving the way for the Arizona Department of Transportation to move the project forward.

The Record of Decision, signed March 5 by the Federal Highway Administration, grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, complete the design and begin construction of the 22-mile-long freeway to serve the metro Phoenix region.

The Record of Decision will allow ADOT to begin final design and subsequent construction of the South Mountain Freeway. Acquisition of right of way is expected to begin immediately. ADOT has determined that, pursuant to an unsolicited proposal submitted to construct the freeway, construction will follow a public-private partnership path, helping to speed construction and reduce overall costs. The freeway would not be tolled under any public-private partnership proposal, but would include a private group involved with final design, construction and a 30-year agreement to maintain the freeway.

“The South Mountain Freeway has been approved as a part of two elections that have provided the region with additional transportation funding. Voters recognized the need and the benefits of this project to provide connectivity, travel reliability and route options for a growing region,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Both ADOT and the Maricopa Association of Governments agree this is a critically needed project, and ADOT is breaking new ground by moving it forward under a public-private partnership agreement to more closely involve the private sector, helping to save money and speed construction.”

The proposed South Mountain Freeway has been a critical part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Freeway Program since it was first included in funding through Proposition 300, approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985. The freeway was also part of the Regional Transportation Plan funding passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 through Proposition 400.

The South Mountain Freeway is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system necessary for high-quality regional mobility, according to regional planners.

“This is a great day and an important milestone in the history of the Valley’s transportation system,” said Maricopa Association of Governments Chair Michael LeVault, mayor of Youngtown. “It has been a long time coming, and we look forward to the improved mobility and economic opportunities that this freeway facility will bring to our region.”

The environmental review process, which included preparing both draft and final environmental impact statements, was conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and identified the preferred route for this freeway corridor – running east and west along Pecos Road and then north and south between 55th and 63rd avenues, connecting with Interstate 10 on each end. The Final Environmental Impact Statement documented the analysis of potential impacts associated with the freeway and the no-build alternative, and addressed comments received on the draft and final Environmental Impact Statements. The draft environmental report was published in 2013, followed by publication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2014.

The Federal Highway Administration has decided to identify the Preferred Alternative (a combination of the W59 and E1 Alternatives) as the Selected Alternative for the South Mountain Freeway project. This decision along with supporting information, including responses to public comments received on the Final Environmental Impact Statement, is documented in the Record of Decision.

The freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. The $1.9 billion project is expected to take about four years to construct.

For more information, or to view the Record of Decision, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.