News release and video from The Arizona Department of Transportation

(Video Link: https://vimeo.com/380101846/1c435538f0 )

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.

 Using an innovative public-private partnership for the state’s largest-ever highway project, ADOT was able to open the 22-mile freeway three years earlier than if it had been built as a series of traditional projects. The agreement also allowed ADOT to deliver the $1.7 billion South Mountain Freeway at a cost savings of more than $100 million.

 “Arizona has solidified its reputation as a state that is open for opportunity, and as we welcome hundreds of new residents every day, we are making sure our infrastructure remains some of the best in America,” Governor Ducey said. “This Loop 202 opening represents a big step forward in connecting the East and West Valleys, as well as prioritizing safety for drivers. My thanks to the local, state, tribal, federal and private partners who helped bring this project to fruition ahead of schedule with major cost savings.”

 Completing the Loop 101 and Loop 202 system, the South Mountain Freeway travels between Interstate 10 at the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in the East Valley and I-10 at 59th Avenue in the West Valley. It is projected to carry about 117,000 vehicles per day within its first year and as many as 190,000 vehicles per day by 2035.

 It’s Arizona’s first highway project built using a public-private partnership, which combined design, construction and maintenance in a single contract. Connect 202 Partners, the developer chosen for the project, will maintain the South Mountain Freeway for the next 30 years under the agreement.

 “This freeway is open on an ambitious timeline because of the innovation, creativity and dedication of our teams at ADOT and at Connect 202 Partners,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “This monumental achievement will benefit Arizonans for decades to come.”

 While the freeway is open to traffic, work will continue into 2020 in several areas, including a traffic interchange at 32nd Street, a 6-mile multi-use path between 40th Street and 17th Avenue in Ahwatukee and landscaping. The 32nd Street interchange was added after the initial design at the request of area residents.

 Connect 202 Partners, consisting of Fluor Enterprises Inc., Granite Construction Co. and Ames Construction Inc., with Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. as the lead designer, completed more than 5.5 million hours of work without an incident causing lost time while using more than 120 subcontractors and suppliers.

  “Working in partnership with ADOT over the last three and half years, we have achieved our goal of providing Arizona with a safe, innovative, cost-effective and much needed freeway that will help alleviate traffic congestion, stimulate the economy and improve the safety and operational efficiency for drivers throughout the Phoenix-metro area,” said Walter J. Lewis, III, senior project director for Fluor and Connect 202 Partners.

 Among the freeway’s 15 interchanges are Arizona’s first two using a diverging diamond configuration that promotes traffic flow and safety. The freeway’s 40 bridges include two half-mile spans over the Salt River that have the longest concrete bridge girders – 175 feet – ever used in Arizona.

 It features three travel lanes and an HOV lane in each direction.

 As with any new highway, ADOT will continue working with nearby residents to examine any concerns related to noise or lighting.

 Signs at each end of the South Mountain Freeway honor the late Arizona Congessman Ed Pastor, carrying a designation approved this fall by the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names.

 The South Mountain Freeway has long been part of the region’s transportation plans. Maricopa County voters approved it in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan.

 For information on the project and to sign up for project updates, please visit SouthMountainFreeway.com. For additional current and planned construction information, click on the Construction Info tab.

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 Article submitted by ADOT

PHOENIX – After moving more than 450,000 cubic yards of earth, enough to fill up 150 Olympic-size swimming pools, construction on the Southern Avenue traffic interchange for the South Mountain Freeway remains on track to reopen Southern next month between 61st Avenue and 64th Place in Laveen.

The closure of Southern Avenue that began Nov. 27 has allowed crews to safely move this large amount of dirt without having to cross local traffic and has accelerated construction of the southern half of the interchange as the Arizona Department of Transportation moves even closer to opening the 22-mile freeway by late 2019.

This work has required motorists to temporarily detour between 51st and 67th avenues, with Broadway and Baseline roads as options, until this first phase of construction is complete.

In addition to the extensive earthwork, crews have completed substantial work that isn’t visible as it occurred below grade, including installing underground utilities and drainage structures. Above ground, crews have built bridge columns and retaining walls that will support a 125-foot-long bridge and have removed the existing roadway.

Today, crews started work to pave the eastbound lanes that motorists in both directions will share until the westbound lanes are built at a later date.

When the northern half of the interchange is complete, the westbound lanes will be paved to complete the widening of Southern Avenue (one lane in each direction along with dedicated left- and right-turn lanes).  A full closure of Southern Avenue won’t be necessary for this phase of work, though occasional overnight closures will be needed to place bridge girders and pour the bridge deck.

After the Southern Avenue closure is lifted, additional work will include paving the ramps and mainline freeway, installing signage, constructing retaining walls, finishing construction of the Southern Avenue bridge, completing final striping and adding landscaping.

The South Mountain Freeway 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 on the South Mountain Freeway, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

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Press Release from the Arizona Department of Transportation

PHOENIX – The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway continues taking shape with the installation of bridge girders, together weighing more than two Boeing 747 jets, at the future interchange with 17th Avenue in the Ahwatukee Foothills.

The girders are the first placed for the Arizona Department of Transportation’s South Mountain Freeway project, which will require a total of nearly 1,100 girders on 40 bridge structures throughout the 22-mile-long corridor.

During three overnight closures for the work completed this weekend at 17th Avenue, two 450-ton cranes lifted and placed each of the 17 steel-reinforced concrete girders, which are 145 feet long and weigh up to 131,000 pounds. Each girder took about an hour to hoist and place.

Crews will return in August to pour concrete to form the bridge deck.

With girder placement complete at the 17th Avenue interchange, crews are set to place 16 girders this week at the 40th Street overpass, also in the Pecos corridor.

Overnight closures of 40th Street between Briarwood Terrace and Pecos Road are needed from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday-Wednesday, July 10-12, to place bridge girders for the 40th Street interchange.

The South Mountain Freeway, which is scheduled to open in 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, it will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system.

You can stay informed about the South Mountain Freeway project and sign up for updates and weekly traffic alerts at SouthMountainFreeway.com.

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PHOENIX – Much-needed traffic relief is in store for motorists in Laveen and the southwest Valley when the Arizona Department of Transportation completes Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway bridges over the Salt River at 59th Avenue.

 In February, Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for construction of the South Mountain Freeway, started work in the Laveen area on foundations for northbound and southbound spans that will open with the freeway by late 2019.

 The Salt River bridges are two of 40 planned for the South Mountain Freeway, and they are by far the longest on the project at approximately 2,700 feet, or about a half-mile long. More importantly, the bridges will provide another all-weather link to and from Laveen when the Salt River flows while also reducing congestion at current crossings.

 “Building another grade-separated crossing over the Salt River has been a critical transportation need in the growing Laveen area,” said Adam Brahm, the ADOT resident engineer who oversees construction from Lower Buckeye Road to 51st Avenue. “When nearby low-flow crossings over the Salt River have become impassable, it’s often created significant traffic delays in the area. The new Salt River bridges will make it easier for Laveen motorists to get where they need to go.”

 The city of Phoenix’s 51st Avenue bridge is already heavily traveled and is the lone all-weather crossing over the Salt River between 35th Avenue and Avondale Boulevard, which is approximately 10 miles west of 35th Avenue. When low-flow crossings at 67th and 91st avenues are unavailable, the 51st Avenue bridge is the only available crossing in the area. 

 This occurred earlier this year when the Salt River Project released excess water from its two reservoirs due to heavy rain and early snowpack melting.

 Progress on the bridge foundations along the Salt River has been swift. Large drill rigs have bored holes up to 100 feet deep and towering cranes have lifted steel bar cages weighing more than 14,000 pounds that will create bridge piers.

 The remaining work will occur after ADOT receives permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees construction in designated waterways.

 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 as it runs east and west along Pecos Road and then north and south between 55th and 63rd avenues, connecting with I-10 on each end.

 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.

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Information provided by the Arizona Department of Transportation

Friday, May 12, 8 p.m. to Saturday, May 13, 5 a.m.

• I-10 westbound narrowed to three lanes between 67th and 79th avenues

Friday, May 12, 10 p.m. to Monday, May 15, 5 a.m.

• 59th Avenue eastbound I-10 on-ramp closed

Sunday, May 14 to Thursday, May 18, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

• I-10 eastbound and westbound narrowed to three lanes between 43rd and 75th avenues

Monday, May 15 to Wednesday, May 17, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

• 67th Avenue northbound and southbound lane restrictions between Van Buren Street and I-10 (Papago Freeway)

Monday, May 15 to Friday, May 19, 8:30 a.m. to 5 a.m.

• Lower Buckeye Road eastbound and westbound lane restrictions at 59th Avenue
• Buckeye Road eastbound and westbound lane restrictions at 59th Avenue

Monday, May 15 to Friday, May 19, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• I-10 eastbound and westbound shoulder closures between 43rd and 75th avenues

Wednesday, May 17 to Thursday, May 18, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. 

• 51st Avenue northbound and southbound lane restrictions between Van Buren Street and I-10 (Papago Freeway)

Tuesday, May 16 to Wednesday, May 17, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Broadway Road eastbound and westbound lane restrictions at 60th Drive

Sunday, May 14, to Thursday, May 18, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.

• Pecos Road eastbound and westbound truck traffic between Interstate 10/ Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange and 40th and 32nd streets

Monday, May 15, to Friday, May 19, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Pecos Road eastbound and westbound lane restrictions between 24th Street and 17th Avenue

Monday, May 15, to Friday, May 19, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• 40th Street northbound and southbound lane restrictions at Pecos Road – watch for flaggers

Thursday, May 18, to Friday, May 19, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Pecos Road eastbound lane restrictions between 40th and 24th streets

 Dates and durations of closures and restrictions are subject to change due to inclement weather. 

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

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions and closures, but it’s possible that unscheduled impacts might occur because of weather or other factors. For the most current information about highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except while driving.

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Arizona Department of Transportation

PHOENIX – A stretch of northbound 59th Avenue approaching Interstate 10 will be closed for several days starting Wednesday, May 3, for the relocation of a city of Phoenix sewer line. The work is part of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s project to build the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

Northbound 59th Avenue will be closed between Roosevelt Street and I-10 (Papago Freeway) from 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Monday, May 8.

 Motorists should consider 51st or 67th avenues and Van Buren Street as alternate routes while northbound 59th Avenue is closed.

 Connect 202 Partners, the developer responsible for building the South Mountain Freeway, will relocate the 27-inch sewer line stretching the length of nearly six football fields. Crews will first remove the asphalt along the northbound lanes before digging a new 20- to 25-foot-deep trench and installing the pipe in segments.

 Daily work hours will be 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

 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.

 For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

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PRESS RELEASE from ADOT on Jan. 17, 2017:

PHOENIX – Construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway remains on track with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting the Gila River Indian Community’s motion for an injunction pending appeal.

The order, released Friday, means work can proceed on the South Mountain Freeway while an appeal by freeway opponents is pending before the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. It’s the fifth time courts have rejected attempts to halt construction of this long-planned link between the East Valley and West Valley.

“The Arizona Department of Transportation and its partners are moving forward with construction of a freeway that will improve the quality of life in this region, connecting people with employment centers and providing a much-needed alternative to a strained Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said.

In November 2016, the 9th Circuit denied a separate request for an emergency injunction by a different group of freeway opponents.

In October 2016, 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 this month.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.

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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. 

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  

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.

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 This press release was sent out by ADOT on Thursday, Oct. 27.

South Mountain Freeway remains on track with latest court ruling

Direct link between East Valley and West Valley scheduled to open in 2019

 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.

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