Arizona State Route 303

Infobox road
state=AZ
type=SR
route=303
alternate_name= Estrella Freeway
maint=ADOT


length_mi=21.84
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web |url=http://tpd.az.gov/data/reports/2006SHSLog.pdf |title=2006 ADOT Highway Log |author=Arizona Department of Transportation|accessdate=2008-04-08]
established=
direction_a=CCW
starting_terminus=jct|state=AZ|I|10 in Goodyear
junction=jct|state=AZ|US|60 in Surprise
direction_b=CW
ending_terminus=Lake Pleasant Road
previous_type=SR
previous_route=289
next_type=SR
next_route=347

State Route 303, also known as Loop 303 and Estrella Freeway, is a state highway that was maintained by Maricopa County [cite web|url=http://www.rightroads.org|title=MCDOT Rightroads Program] in central Arizona serving the far western suburbs of the Phoenix metropolitan area until 2004 when the Arizona Department of Transportation again took the control of upgrading the interim road to a freeway. Formerly known as the Estrella Freeway, it was renamed in 2004 to honor former Arizona congressman Bob Stump. [cite web|url=http://www.maricopa.gov/Clk_board/Minutes/2004/051304ss.pdf|title=Maricopa County Board of Supervisors minute book]

Route description

Unlike Loop 101 and Loop 202, Loop 303 is not a controlled-access freeway, although there are plans to upgrade its status. Its current route is from just north of the Cotton Lane exit of Interstate 10 in Goodyear to Lake Pleasant Road, 6 miles northeast of U.S. Route 60 (Grand Avenue) north of Sun City. When completed, it will connect to Interstate 17 in far northern Phoenix, along the planned Lone Mountain Road alignment, or 2 miles south of State Route 74.

History

Loop 303 was originally a part of the 1985 Maricopa County Regional Transportation Plan to be funded by a sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters. The freeway, designed to service the Northwest Valley, would have been completed sometime by 2014. However, funding shortfalls and increasing construction costs forced cutbacks in the plan, and in 1995 the freeway was dropped from the regional plans.

Maricopa County took charge of the Estrella Freeway project when it was dropped from the regional freeway plans, maintaining it as an interim 2-lane highway along the original corridor while keeping the state route designation. The county has made significant improvements to the roadway, extending it several miles north and east of US 60. While the highway is still largely a 2-lane rural road, the extension north of US 60 along with the southern terminus just north of Interstate 10 have been upgraded to a 4-lane divided parkway, and the segment between US 60 and Bell Road in Surprise has been partially upgraded to controlled-highway standards with overpasses and right-of-way for on-ramps. [ cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/valley_freeways/Loop_303/North/index.asp
title = Loop 303 (North of I-10)
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-02-02 ]

With the extension of the sales tax approved in 2004, the highway has once again been added to the Regional Transportation Plan. As Maricopa County has completed much of the required study and preparation work, construction on the freeway is already underway with a planned completion date of the I-10 to I-17 segment by 2015. A planned extension of the freeway south of I-10 to the planned alignment of SR 801 is scheduled to be complete by 2020, and further funding is provided for right-of-way preservation for a potential future extension of the freeway several miles south of SR 801, although no plans for such an extension through 2025 have been made.

According to a recent agreement between the state legislature and the state department of transportation, STAN (Statewide Transportation Acceleration Needs) funds will be used to build a partial interchange at Bell Road before 2010, several years before previously intended. [ cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/valley_freeways/Loop_303/North/index.asp
title = L303 Overview
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-02-02 ]

Junction list

The entire route is in Maricopa County.

References

ee also

*Loop 101
*Loop 202
*Metropolitan Phoenix Freeways

External links

* [http://arizonaroads.com/arizona/az303.html SR 303 at Arizona Roads]