Metropolitan Phoenix freeways

Due to the lack of any form of mass transit besides bus prior to 2008, the Phoenix Metropolitan Area has remained a very automobile-dependent city, with its first freeway opening in 1958. Coupled with the explosive growth of the region and adequate funding, the result is one of the nation's most expansive freeway networks, much of which is still largely incomplete.

The backbone of Phoenix's freeway system is composed of three major freeways - Interstate 10, Interstate 17, and U.S. Route 60. Interstate 10, being a transcontinental route between California and Florida, is the most heavily traveled freeway in the Valley of the Sun. Interstate 17 runs down the center of Arizona, connecting Phoenix with Sedona, Prescott, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. U.S. Route 60 spans most of the country, but is only a controlled-access freeway for a few short stints, one of them being in the Valley. It shuttles travelers to cities such as Wickenburg, Las Vegas, and Globe. In addition to these three freeways, two beltways, the 101 and the 202, loop around Phoenix and Mesa respectively. State Route 51 connects Downtown with the northern reaches of the city, and Arizona State Route 143 is a distributor for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Phoenix freeways are funded primarily by local sales tax dollars rather than federal money, so newer freeways were and are given state route designation as opposed to interstate designation. Primarily due to this, Phoenix is the largest city in the United States to have no 3-digit interstates. [ cite web
url = http://neighborhoods.realtor.com/AZ/Phoenix/Phoenix/442624/Transportation
title = Freeways and Expressways
publisher = National Association of Realtors
accessdate = 2008-09-12 ]

Phoenix's freeway system heavily utilizes ramp meters, with 121 currently operational in the metropolitan area. Since their implementation in the 1980s, the goal of these has remained to "break up platoons" of cars by limiting the amount that can enter a freeway at a time. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) states that this has so far been "tremendously successful". [ cite web
url = http://www.dot.state.mn.us/rampmeterstudy/pdf/finalreport/8.pdf
title = 8.4.2 Phoenix (AZ)
publisher = Minnesota DOT
accessdate = 2008-01-21 ]

Existing freeways

=Interstate 10=

Papago Freeway/Maricopa Freeway

This is Phoenix's widest and arguably most congested freeway, entering the metropolitan area on its western edge in the city of Buckeye as the Papago Freeway. It continues eastward through the cities of Goodyear, Avondale, and Tolleson; where it has an interchange with northbound Loop 101. Following Tolleson, I-10 reaches Phoenix's western city limits, and as it approaches downtown, there is a four-level symmetrical stack interchange with Interstate 17 known as simply The Stack. The freeway proceeds eastward through a tunnel constructed under a city park before it reaches the Mini Stack interchange with Loop 202 and SR 51. Turning southward at this interchange, I-10 runs adjacent to Sky Harbor International Airport before an interchange with the southern terminus of I-17.

After this second I-17 interchange, I-10 is known as the Maricopa Freeway, presumably after the Native American tribe. It regains its primary eastward direction as it crosses the Salt River, but after meeting SR 143 it turns south again via what is dubbed by locals as the Broadway Curve. I-10 is now in the city of Tempe, where an interchange with US 60 is located. The freeway enters its final city in the Valley of the Sun, Chandler. In Chandler, Loop 202 intersects I-10 at another four-level symmetrical stack interchange before the freeway enters the Gila River Indian Community and continues on through the undeveloped stretch of desert between Phoenix and the fast-growing town of Casa Grande before making its way towards the Tucson metropolitan area.

Interstate 17

Black Canyon Freeway/Maricopa Freeway

I-17 enters the valley from the north as the Black Canyon Freeway, in the New River and Anthem area before a four-level interchange with Loop 101. It then continues directly southward on the 27th and 25th Avenue alignments in northern Phoenix, passing Metrocenter Mall as it heads directly for downtown. Another four-level stack awaits I-17 when it meets Interstate 10 immediately northwest of downtown at The Stack. At Durango Street, in the segment of freeway known as the Durango Curve, the freeway turns eastward, becoming the Maricopa Freeway, and provides a southerly bypass of downtown before meeting I-10 again near Sky Harbor and terminating. Interstate 17 was the Valley's first freeway, with maps showing an established freeway-standard route by 1961 in some segments. [ cite web
url = http://www.arizonaroads.com/maps/index.html
title = 1961 map
publisher = Rand McNally
accessdate = 2008-09-12 ]

=SR 51=

Piestewa Freeway "(Squaw Peak Parkway 1987-2003)"

The Piestewa Freeway begins at the Mini Stack interchange with I-10 and Loop 202, and proceeds north through Phoenix towards Piestewa Peak (formerly known as Squaw Peak). After passing near Paradise Valley, SR 51 reaches its northern terminus at Loop 101.

This freeway was formerly known as the Squaw Peak Parkway, but since "Squaw" is regarded as a derogatory term for Native American women, the Arizona Board of Geographic and Historic Names rechristened the route "Piestewa" Freeway after Lori Piestewa, a Native American woman who died in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. [ cite web
url = http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/heroes/piestewa.html
title = Mom, soldier and Hopi Indian: 'She fought and died valiantly'
publisher = CNN
accessdate = 2008-09-12 ]

=US 60=

Superstition FreewayUS 60 enters the Valley of the Sun within Pinal County borders in Apache Junction. After crossing into Maricopa County and into east Mesa, a four-level interchange dubbed the SuperRedTan awaits motorists. This interchange, completed in 2007, provides access to the Red Mountain and Santan Freeway segments of Loop 202. Continuing westward past the interchange, the freeway passes through the heart of Mesa before meeting Loop 101 and eventually duplexing with westbound I-10 near Tempe.

=SR 143=

Hohokam Expressway

Originally signed as Business I-10, the Hohokam Expressway is a relatively short north-south freeway that runs east of Sky Harbor International Airport, between Loop 202 and Interstate 10. Its primary purpose is to distribute east side airport traffic onto Loop 202 and I-10 without utilizing stop-and-go surface streets. There are no current plans to upgrade or reconstruct any portions of the nearly four-mile expressway. cite web
url = http://www.valleyfreeways.com/Highways/Valley_Freeways/SR143/index.asp
title = State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway)
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-09-12 ]

=Loop 101=

Agua Fria Freeway/Pima Freeway/Price Freeway

Loop 101 begins in the city of Tolleson as the Agua Fria Freeway at a junction with Interstate 10. Proceeding northward through the West Valley cities of Glendale and Peoria, Loop 101 turns eastward along the Beardsley Road alignment. In the northern section of Phoenix, there is an interchange with Interstate 17, which is where the Pima Freeway segment begins.

Remaining eastbound, the freeway meets the northern terminus of SR 51 before turning southward in the city of Scottsdale on the Pima Road alignment. Passing through the heart of the city, Loop 101 meets no freeways again until the Loop 202 four-level stack, which is located partially over the Salt River.

Proceeding southward as the Price Freeway, Loop 101 enters Tempe and encounters a junction with US 60 before entering Chandler and terminating at the Loop 202.

=Loop 202=

Red Mountain Freeway/Santan Freeway

The Red Mountain Freeway begins at the Mini Stack junction with SR 51 and Interstate 10 before heading east into Tempe. SR 143 and Loop 101 intersect the Red Mountain Freeway at various points in the city prior to the road entering the northern reaches of Mesa, where it had temporarily ended at Power Road. The final segment of the Red Mountain Freeway from Power Road to University Drive is open as of July 21, 2008. [ cite web
url = http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/08/20080708mr-freeway0709.html
title = Freeway opening scheduled for July 21
publisher = The Arizona Republic
accessdate = 2008-07-10 ] The freeway then continues due southward towards US 60, until it bisects it at the SuperRedTan Interchange. Loop 202 then becomes the Santan Freeway.

The Santan Freeway segment comprises the southern half of the Loop 202 partial beltway and begins at US 60, heading south into the town of Gilbert. Turning westward near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the freeway passes through Chandler with an interchange at the southern terminus of Loop 101. Loop 202 proceeds westward, following the Pecos Road alignment until meeting its current terminus at I-10—where an interchange was built with Loop 202 expansion westward in mind.

Former freeway

=SR 153=

"Sky Harbor Expressway (1992-2007)"

The Sky Harbor Expressway was a small remnant of the old northern alignment of SR 143. Beginning at Washington St, the former expressway heads south to an interchange with the airport entrance before a bridge over the Salt River. Following this bridge, the former expressway ends at University Avenue with no further planned extension to Interstate 10.

SR 153 entered the process of being deleted from the Regional Transportation Plan, or as it was officially referred to -- a "major amendment" to the plan -- in May 2007. [ cite web
url = http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/detail.cms?item=7482
title = Major Amendment to Regional Transportation Plan Approved
publisher = Maricopa Association of Governments
accessdate = 2008-09-12 ]

Proposed, but never built

=SR 50=

Paradise Parkway

SR 50 was part of Proposition 300 in 1985, but was removed from the system in December of 1994, when then Arizona governor Fife Symington made some funding cuts that included removal of the Paradise Parkway and Estrella Freeway from the system entirely. (The Estrella Freeway was re-added to the system when Proposition 400 was passed ten years later in 2004.) SR 50 will not be re-added to the system, because in February 1996 the ADOT auctioned off all the right-of-way it had purchased for the freeway, which was to be located between Loop 101 and SR 51 in the Central Valley. [ cite web
url = http://www.azcentral.com/flash/loop101/freeways.html
title = Valley freeway system
publisher = Arizona Republic
accessdate = 2008-09-12 ]

Future freeways

=SR 85=

State Route 85

SR 85 already exists, but only as a two-lane roadway with one lane for northbound traffic and one lane for southbound. This setup continues for the road's entire length, which is between Interstate 10 and Interstate 8. Because traffic counts on SR 85 are expected to double by twenty years, a long range goal of transforming this rural two-lane highway into a full-fledged freeway was implemented. This will be done by twelve individual projects, each which will add two lanes of interim roadway aside the existing two-lane roadway with the goal of a freeway-style upgrade in mind. [ cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Projects/SR85/FactSheet.asp
title = State Route 85 - Fact Sheet
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-01-21 ]

=Loop 202=

South Mountain Freeway

The South Mountain Freeway is a proposed southerly bypass of Downtown Phoenix which would do so by cutting through South Mountain Park and Ahwatukee. It would begin at the already complete traffic interchange of the Santan Freeway and Interstate 10. Heading west along the Pecos Road alignment through Ahwatukee, the freeway would straddle the border with the Gila River Indian Reservation. Turning northwest and eventually north, the South Mountain Freeway would follow the 55th Avenue alignment north to its terminus with Interstate 10 in west Phoenix.

The proposed final segment of Loop 202 would be built sometime between 2009 and 2012, if at all. A final decision on the freeway's fate is expected in 2009. [ cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Valley_Freeways/Loop_202/South_Mountain/project_planning.asp
title = Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway)
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-01-21 ]

=Loop 303=

Bob Stump Memorial Freeway "(Estrella Freeway)"

The Bob Stump Memorial Freeway will begin at a stack interchange with I-17 south of the SR 74 exit. Continuing west, Loop 303 will be in northern Phoenix until the proposed interchange with Lake Pleasant Parkway when it turns southwest into Peoria. The freeway will then have an interchange with US 60 as it enters Surprise, heading exactly south. Passing through Glendale into Goodyear, Loop 303's northern proposed section ends at a junction with I-10. 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 = 2008-01-21 ]

South of the proposed junction with Interstate 10, Loop 303 is currently under study to see if it is feasible to build an extension of the route to proposed SR 801. The final design concept report for the new freeway is due in early 2009.

=SR 801=

State Route 801

This proposed east-west freeway would hopefully remove some West Valley I-10 motorists in an attempt decrease traffic along the frequently congested freeway. Its western beginning would be at SR 85, and it would run east to encounter proposed Loop 303, and continue through to end at Loop 202's proposed South Mountain Freeway segment. Construction of the proposed SR 801, would, if the freeway is approved, begin sometime in the early 2020s. [ cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Valley_Freeways/SR801/index.asp
title = State Route 801
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-01-21 ]

=SR 802=

Williams Gateway Freeway

This is a proposed freeway in the Southeast Valley that would connect the Santan Freeway segment of Loop 202 near Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to US 60 in western Pinal County. It is currently under study. [ cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Valley_Freeways/SR802/index.asp
title = State Route 802 (Williams Gateway Freeway)
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-01-21 ]

Named interchanges and features

Mini Stack
*The four-level stack interchange among Interstate 10, State Route 51, and Loop 202 northeast of Downtown Phoenix.SuperRedTan
*The four-level symmetrical stack interchange between Loop 202 and US 60 in eastern Mesa.The Stack
*The four-level symmetrical stack interchange between Interstate 10 and Interstate 17 located northwest of Downtown Phoenix.The Split
*The three-level interchange between Interstate 10 and the southern terminus of Interstate 17 near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.North Stack
*The four-level symmetrical stack interchange between Interstate 17 and Loop 101 in northern Phoenix.Superstition Transition
*The three-level interchange between US 60 and Interstate 10 in Tempe adjacent to Arizona Mills mall.Papago Freeway Tunnel
*The ten-lane tunnel where Interstate 10 travels beneath Margaret Hance Park in Downtown Phoenix.Durango Curve
*The ninety-degree change in direction of Interstate 17 near Durango Road, located southwest of Downtown Phoenix.Broadway Curve
*The often congested stretch of Interstate 10 that forms a ninety-degree change in direction near Broadway Road in Tempe.Dreamy Draw
*The location where State Route 51 cuts through Piestewa Peak. [ cite web
url = http://kjzz.org/news/traffic/terms
title = Traffic Terms
publisher = KJZZ
accessdate = 2008-03-17 ]

Displayed travel times

On January 22, 2008, a test program was begun by ADOT which involved the placement of travel times to popular commuter destinations on variable message signs along inbound freeway routes during the morning peak hours and outbound routes in the evening. These signs will only be activated on weekdays during peak travel hours (6am to 9am and 3pm to 7pm) and will not appear if there is a more urgent message to display; such as an Amber Alert or other emergency. If these signs gain motorist approval within their trial, then they might be expanded to include all Valley freeways and continued for years thereafter. [ cite web
url = http://www.az511.com/dtt/index.php
title = ADOT now provides freeway travel...
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-01-24 ]

Funding

Phoenix has been expanding its highway system since 1985, when voters passed Proposition 300, which established a half-cent general sales tax to fund new urban freeways that were currently in the Regional Transportation Plan. At the time, this included the unbuilt or partially unbuilt: Sky Harbor Expressway, I-10, SR 51, SR 143, Loop 101, and Loop 202. Most of these were completed by 2005, with Loop 202 being in the final stage of construction. cite web
url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/RFS/History.asp
title = Introduction to the Phoenix Urban Area Regional Freeway System
publisher = ADOT
accessdate = 2008-01-21 ]

In 1994, voters in Maricopa County voted against Proposition 400, which would have extended the half-cent sales tax extension from 2006 through 2016 had it been passed. Half of this additional funding would have been used for improvements in mass transit as well as new freeways. But because of the defeat, there was no funding beyond fiscal year 2006, regardless of if the Regional Transportation Plan was completed or not. In 1996, the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council passed a series of bills provided funding for a Long Range Plan between fiscal years 2007 and 2015. The Red Mountain Freeway, Santan Freeway, and Sky Harbor Expressway segments, all of which were previously unfunded, became prioritized with construction commencing almost immediately.

In 1999, even more funding was given to accelerate construction of the Regional Transportation Plan by the State Legislature, which passed a bill called the "2007 Acceleration Plan". This bill forced the State Infrastructure Bank to assist in funds, which assisted in pushing the completion of Regional Transportation Plan forward to the end of 2007.

With the transportation tax set to expire in 2006, a revived Proposition 400 was put before the voters of Maricopa County in 2004, ten years after the original vote ended in failure. Proposing an identical half-cent extension of the sales tax, the new proposition would extend the tax a full twenty years as opposed to the original ten. [ cite web
url = http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/pdf/cms.resource/ANNUALREPORT89292.pdf
title = 2005 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATUS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSITION 400
publisher = Maricopa Association of Governments
accessdate = 2008-08-27] Unlike its predecessor, the proposition passed by a wide 58-42% margin and established funding for several future projects including highways and mass transit. A similar but much more wide-reaching proposal to enact a full one-cent sales tax increase over a thirty-year period on a statewide level, much of which would have gone to funding Phoenix area projects, failed to qualify for the 2008 general election ballot due to issues with the petition. [ cite web
url = http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/08/26/20080826ballot-measures0826-ON.html
title = Ruling keeps roads, land measures off Ariz. ballot
publisher = The Arizona Republic
accessdate = 2008-08-27]

As it turns out, the 1985 plan was not fully completed by 2007 due to the lingering unfinished segment of the Loop 202 between University Avenue and Power Road in Mesa, where work wrapped up on July 21, 2008. [ cite web
url = http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/07/08/20080708mr-freeway0709.html
title = Freeway opening scheduled for July 21
publisher = The Arizona Republic
accessdate = 2008-07-11 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.arizonaroads.com/urban/index.html Urban Freeways - Arizona Roads]
* [http://www.rockymountainroads.com/phoenix.html Phoenix Highway Guide]
* [http://www.valleyfreeways.com/Highways/Valley_Freeways/Index.asp Valley Freeways]
* [http://www.azcentral.com/flash/loop101/freeways.html Metro Phoenix Freeways Interactive Map]
* [http://www.aaroads.com/ AARoads]

ee also

* Transportation in Arizona
* Arizona Department of Transportation
* Valley Metro (Phoenix)