Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles and Roads and freeways in metropolitan Phoenix: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Phoenix_Metro_Area_Future_Freeway_System.svg‎|thumb|right|395px|Map showing existing, planned, and conceptual freeways in Metro Phoenix]]
'''Mid-Wilshire''' is a district in the City of [[Los Angeles, California]]. It is part of the [[Wilshire, Los Angeles, California|Wilshire]] region.


[[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], [[Arizona]], [[United States]] contains one of the nation's largest and fastest growing [[freeway]] systems, boasting over 1,405 lane miles as of 2008.<ref> {{cite web
It mostly encompasses the area bounded by La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Melrose Avenue to the north, Hoover Street to the east and the [[Santa Monica Freeway]] to the south, although some neighborhoods in this perimerter are part of [[Mid-City West]]. It derives its name from [[Wilshire Boulevard]], the primary east-west thoroughfare through the area. The service area of the [[LAPD Wilshire Division|Wilshire Division of the Los Angeles Police Department]] is congruent to the portions of Mid-Wilshire within the City of Los Angeles. A popular nickname among locals for this district is Midtown.
| url = http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/2008/09/07/20080907vip-lavsphx0907.html
| title = Congestion
| publisher = Arizona Republic
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>


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 [[Valley of the Sun|region]] and adequate [[funding]], the result is one of the [[United States|nation's]] most expansive [[freeway]] networks, much of which is still largely incomplete.
==History==
:''See also: [[History of Los Angeles]]''
Hoover Street marks the western edge of the original city lands of the ''pueblo'' of Los Angeles, as granted by the Spanish crown in 1781. Before the 20th century, the area to the west was predominantly farmland and pasture, with significant [[petroleum]] extraction beginning in the 1890s. Even as the areas within the old land grant became a booming metropolis, the areas west of Hoover remained virtually unpopulated: the [[streetcar]] lines that connected downtown Los Angeles with [[Palms, Los Angeles, California|Palms]], [[Venice, California|Venice]], and the city of [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]] ran through a landscape little changed from what the original [[Tongva]] inhabitants might have seen centuries earlier.


The backbone of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]]'s freeway system is composed of three major freeways - [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|Interstate 10]], [[Interstate 17]], and [[U.S. Route 60 in Arizona|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, Arizona|Phoenix]] with [[Sedona, Arizona|Sedona]], [[Prescott, Arizona|Prescott]], [[Flagstaff, Arizona|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, Arizona|Wickenburg]], [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], and [[Globe, Arizona|Globe]]. In addition to these three freeways, two [[beltway|beltways]], the [[Arizona State Route 101|101]] and the [[Arizona State Route 202|202]], loop around [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[Mesa, Arizona|Mesa]] respectively. [[Arizona State Route 51|State Route 51]] connects [[Downtown Phoenix|Downtown]] with the northern reaches of the city, and [[Arizona State Route 143]] is a distributor for [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport]].
With the opening of the [[Los Angeles Aqueduct]] and the long-awaited development of the [[Port of Los Angeles]], Los Angeles experienced an explosion of economic and population growth. The relatively flat coastal plains beyond Hoover, which had seen only desultory development beforehand, were ripe for large-scale urbanization. In an orgy of building and speculation, they were soon covered with houses both humble and magnificent, spectacularly [[palm tree|palm]]-lined streets, thriving commercial districts along most of the major thoroughfares, and the iconic [[Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California|Miracle Mile]] on Wilshire Boulevard. The iconic Carthay Circle Theater, in the far northwest reaches of Mid-Wilshire near the border of [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], was one of the greatest of the "picture palaces" of the "Golden Age" of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s.


[[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] freeways are funded primarily by local [[sales tax]] dollars rather than federal money, so newer freeways were and are given [[List of Arizona State Routes|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.<ref> {{cite web
After [[World War II]], and especially from the mid-1960s onward, [[suburb]]anization drew away much of Mid-Wilshire's wealth, especially in the more densely populated areas east of Crenshaw Boulevard, which saw wholesale [[white flight]] in the 1950s and 1960s. (Areas such as [[Carthay, Los Angeles, California|Carthay]] and the [[Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California|Miracle Mile District]] fared better, with middle-class [[Jews|Jewish]] and [[African-American]] families adding considerable [[social capital]] to their new neighborhoods.) In the 1970s, Mayor [[Tom Bradley (politician)|Tom Bradley]]'s successful effort to turn [[Bunker Hill, Los Angeles, California|Bunker Hill]] into the region's premier business district further reduced the desirability of the Wilshire business corridor. By 1980, many businesses had abandoned Wilshire Boulevard for the shiny new office towers of [[Century City, Los Angeles, California|Century City]], [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]], and [[Westchester, Los Angeles, California|Westchester]], and the office parks of the suburbs. In the Wilshire Center area, salvation came in the form of [[Korea]]n immigrants displaced by the [[Heavy-Chemical Industry Drive|economic development schemes]] of South Korean dictator [[Park Chung Hee]]; these enterprising Koreans quickly established themselves as the dominant economic force in the eastern part of the Mid-Wilshire district, leading to part of Wilshire Center's rechristening as "[[Koreatown, Los Angeles, California|Koreatown]]."
| url = http://neighborhoods.realtor.com/AZ/Phoenix/Phoenix/442624/Transportation
| title = Freeways and Expressways
| publisher = National Association of Realtors
| accessdate = 2008-09-12}} </ref>


The system heavily utilizes [[ramp meter]]s, with 121 currently operational in the [[Valley of the Sun|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 been "tremendously successful".<ref> {{cite web
Today, Mid-Wilshire is an ethnically and economically diverse area, with all of Los Angeles' major racial/ethnic groups--whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asian-Americans--well-represented within its borders. Neighborhoods like Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Carthay Circle, and Lafayette Square contain some of Los Angeles' most magnificent residential architecture, primarily in traditional city neighborhood settings. On the whole, the area has retained a low-rise, relatively low-density character, in large part due to the [[historic preservation]] movement. The exception is Koreatown, which has long been one of the most densely populated areas in the United States. The Wilshire Center neighborhood has undergone gentrification since approximately 2003, and many apartments are under construction. One of Mid-Wilshire's greatest sources of [http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=2309&IssueNum=109 political conflict] is the steady densification of areas along Koreatown's western edges, a seemingly inexorable development that has occurred to the great dismay of the district's affluent white neighbors.
| 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}} </ref>


On [[January 22]], [[2008]], a test program was begun by [[Arizona Department of Transportation|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 [[Phoenix Metropolitan Area|Valley]] freeways and continued for years thereafter.<ref> {{cite web
==Transportation==
| url = http://www.az511.com/dtt/index.php
===Electric Rail===
| title = ADOT now provides freeway travel...
Historically, the [[Pacific Electric Railway]] had several Red Car [[streetcar]] lines running through Mid-Wilshire, which merged into a trunk line on Venice Boulevard at the Vineyard Junction in what is now [[Mid-City, Los Angeles, California|Mid-City]], continuing east to Hill Street and ultimately the Subway Terminal Building downtown. At the system's greatest extent in the late 1920s, streetcars running through this junction connected Mid-Wilshire to most of the neighborhoods and cities of the present-day Westside, as well as the coastal cities of the [[South Bay, Los Angeles|South Bay]]. The Pacific Electric lines in Mid-Wilshire were all out of service by 1959 and most trackage was removed by 1970; wide medians on Venice and San Vicente Boulevards are the only remnant of this important component of the area's development.
| publisher = ADOT
| accessdate = 2008-01-24}} </ref>


==Existing freeways==
The [[Los Angeles Railway]]'s "Yellow Cars" also operated in Mid-Wilshire, with their western terminus at Pico and Rimpau Boulevards (and at Highland Avenue, on the 3rd Street line two miles to the north). Following a 1928 fare increase by Pacific Electric, the city of Santa Monica started its own municipal bus service, with its eastern terminus at the Yellow Car's western end. The advent of this service, which evolved over time into today's well-regarded [[Big Blue Bus]], enabled Santa Monica residents and Westsiders commuting to downtown Los Angeles to bypass Pacific Electric entirely. Today, the Pico/Rimpau depot (which has been rebuilt several times, the most recent renovation opening in January 2006) is still the principal interchange point between the Big Blue Bus and the Pacific Electric's ultimate successor, the [[Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority|Los Angeles MTA]].
===[[Interstate 10 in Arizona|Interstate 10]]===
'''Papago Freeway/Maricopa Freeway'''
[[Image:I-10 Arizona 150.JPG|thumb|right|255px|I-10 west at [[Metropolitan Phoenix Freeways#Named interchanges and features|The Split]] interchange with I-17 north]]
This is [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix's]] widest and arguably most [[Traffic congestion|congested]] freeway, entering the metropolitan area on its western edge in the city of [[Buckeye, Arizona|Buckeye]] as the [[Papago]] Freeway. It continues eastward through the cities of [[Goodyear, Arizona|Goodyear]], [[Avondale, Arizona|Avondale]], and [[Tolleson, Arizona|Tolleson]]; where it has an interchange with northbound [[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]]. Following Tolleson, I-10 reaches Phoenix's western city limits, and as it approaches [[Downtown Phoenix|downtown]], there is a four-level symmetrical [[stack interchange]] with [[Interstate 17 (Arizona)|Interstate 17]] known as simply [[The Stack]]. The freeway proceeds eastward through a [[Papago Freeway Tunnel|tunnel]] constructed under a city park before it reaches the [[Mini Stack]] interchange with [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]] and [[Arizona State Route 51|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.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/Valley_Freeways/I10/Papago/index.asp
| title = Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway)
| publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>


After this second [[Black Canyon Freeway|I-17]] interchange, [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]] is known as the [[Maricopa]] Freeway, presumably after the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribe. It regains its primary eastward direction as it crosses the [[Salt River (Arizona)|Salt River]], but after meeting [[Arizona State Route 143|SR 143]] it turns south again via what is dubbed by locals as the [[Broadway Curve]].<ref> {{cite web
===Congestion and Responses===
| url = http://www.weknowurban.com/HighRise-Loft-News/02-16-2007_Tempe_Pushes_for_24_lanes_on_Broadway_Curve.htm
Many of the low-wage jobs in the prosperous business districts of the [[West Los Angeles (region)|Westside]] are held by residents of densely populated inner-city neighborhoods such as [[Westlake, Los Angeles, California|Westlake]], [[Pico-Union, Los Angeles, California|Pico-Union]], and [[Echo Park, Los Angeles, California|Echo Park]]. The fastest way to [[Century City, Los Angeles, California|Century City]], Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica is usually along Mid-Wilshire's surface streets. Similarly, many workers in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood]] live in [[South Los Angeles]]. For this reason, even though much of the region has a relatively low population density for Los Angeles, Mid-Wilshire suffers from significant traffic congestion problems. Residents on a few streets in the area have erected wrought-iron fences and concrete barriers to prevent through traffic from using their streets. Mass transit solutions, both in the form of improved bus service (including limited [[bus rapid transit]] on [[Wilshire Boulevard|Wilshire]], [[La Cienega Boulevard|La Cienega]], and Crenshaw Boulevards and [[Fairfax Avenue]]) and the long-delayed western extension of the [[LACMTA Purple Line|Purple Line]] [[Rapid transit|subway]], promise to relieve some of the area's thorny congestion, but progress has been slow.
| title = Tempe Pushes for 24 lanes on Broadway Curve
| publisher = Arizona Republic
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref> I-10 is now in the city of [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]], where an interchange with [[U.S. Route 60 in Arizona|US 60]] is located. The [[freeway]] enters its final city in the Valley of the Sun, [[Chandler, Arizona|Chandler]]. In Chandler, [[Arizona State Route 202|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, Arizona|Casa Grande]] before making its way towards the [[Tucson, AZ|Tucson]] metropolitan area.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/Valley_Freeways/I10/Maricopa/index.asp
| title = Interstate 10 (Maricopa Freeway)
| publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>


===[[Interstate 17 (Arizona)|Interstate 17]]===
==Education==
'''Black Canyon Freeway/Maricopa Freeway'''
[[Image:Loyola High LA.jpg|thumb|Loyola High School]]
Mid-Wilshire is primarily served by three public high schools: Fairfax High, at Fairfax Avenue and Sunset Boulevard on the region's northwestern edge; Los Angeles High, at Olympic and West Boulevards in the east-central portion of the region and Belmont High, just east of Hoover on Beverly Boulevard in [[Westlake, Los Angeles, California|Westlake]]. Some students in the furthest southwest portions of Mid-Wilshire attend [[Alexander Hamilton]] High in [[Beverlywood, Los Angeles, California|Beverlywood]]. The campus of Los Angeles High also includes one of the city's largest [[adult education]] centers, as well as a large memorial to alumni killed in [[World War I]].


I-17 enters the [[Valley of the Sun|valley]] from the north as the [[Black Canyon City, Arizona|Black Canyon]] Freeway, in the [[New River, AZ|New River]] and [[Anthem, AZ|Anthem]] area before a four-level interchange with [[Arizona State Route 101|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 Phoenix|downtown]]. Another four-level stack awaits I-17 when it meets [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|Interstate 10]] immediately northwest of [[downtown Phoenix|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 [[Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport|Sky Harbor]] and terminating. [[Interstate 17 (Arizona)|Interstate 17]] was the Valley's first [[freeway]], with maps showing an established freeway-standard route by 1961 in some segments.<ref> {{cite web
The area's more affluent residents often send their children to private or religious schools, both inside and outside the district. The most famous of these is the [[Jesuit]] [[Loyola High School of Los Angeles|Loyola High School]] in Harvard Heights.
| url = http://www.arizonaroads.com/maps/index.html
| title = 1961 map
| publisher = Rand McNally
| accessdate = 2008-09-12}} </ref>


===[[Arizona State Route 51|SR 51]]===
==Neighborhoods of Mid-Wilshire==
'''Piestewa Freeway''' ''(Squaw Peak Parkway 1987-2003)''
*[[Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California|Arlington Heights]]

*[[Brookside Park, Los Angeles, California|Brookside Park]]
The [[Lori Piestewa|Piestewa]] Freeway begins at the [[Mini Stack]] interchange with [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]] and [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]], and proceeds north through [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] towards [[Piestewa Peak]] (formerly known as [[Squaw Peak]]). After passing near [[Paradise Valley, AZ|Paradise Valley]], SR 51 reaches its northern terminus at [[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]].
*[[Country Club Park, Los Angeles, California|Country Club Park]]

*[[Fremont Place, Los Angeles, California|Fremont Place]]
This [[freeway]] was formerly known as the [[Piestewa Peak|Squaw Peak]] Parkway, but since [[Squaw|"Squaw"]] is regarded as a derogatory term for [[Native Americans in the United States|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]].<ref> {{cite web
*[[Hancock Park, Los Angeles, California|Hancock Park]]
| url = http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/heroes/piestewa.html
*[[Harvard Heights, Los Angeles, California|Harvard Heights]]
| title = Mom, soldier and Hopi Indian: 'She fought and died valiantly'
**Byzantine-Latino Quarter
| publisher = CNN
*[[Koreatown, Los Angeles, California|Koreatown]]/[[Wilshire Center]]
| accessdate = 2008-09-12}} </ref>
*[[Larchmont, Los Angeles, California|Larchmont]]

**Larchmont Village
===[[U.S. Route 60 in Arizona|US 60]]===
**[[Windsor Square, Los Angeles, California|Windsor Square]]
'''Superstition Freeway'''
*[[Mid-City, Los Angeles, California|Mid-City]]
[[Image:Route60PhoenixAZ gobeirne.jpg|thumb|right|View east along Route 60, Phoenix]]
**Lafayette Square
US 60 enters the [[Valley of the Sun]] within [[Pinal County]] borders in [[Apache Junction, AZ|Apache Junction]]. After crossing into [[Maricopa County]] and into east [[Mesa, AZ|Mesa]], a [[stack interchange|four-level interchange]] dubbed the [[SuperRedTan Interchange|SuperRedTan]] awaits motorists. This interchange, completed in 2007, provides access to the Red Mountain and Santan Freeway segments of [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]]. Continuing westward past the interchange, the freeway passes through the heart of Mesa before meeting [[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]] and eventually [[concurrency (road)|duplexing]] with westbound [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]] near [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]].<ref> {{cite web
**Vineyard
| url = http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/Valley_Freeways/US60/Superstition/index.asp
*[[Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California|Miracle Mile]]
| title = US 60 (Superstition Freeway)
**Miracle Mile North
| publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation
**Miracle Mile South
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>
**[[Park La Brea, Los Angeles, California|Park La Brea]]

*[[Wellington Square, Los Angeles, California|Wellington Square]]
===[[Arizona State Route 143|SR 143]]===
*[[Western Heights, Los Angeles, California|Western Heights]]
'''Hohokam Expressway'''
*[[Wilshire Park, Los Angeles, California|Wilshire Park]]

**Longwood Highlands
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 [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]] and [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|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.<ref name="aaroads"> {{cite web
**[[Park Mile, Los Angeles, California|Park Mile]]
| url = http://www.valleyfreeways.com/Highways/Valley_Freeways/SR143/index.asp
| title = State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway)
| publisher = ADOT
| accessdate = 2008-09-12}} </ref>

===[[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]]===
'''Agua Fria Freeway/Pima Freeway/Price Freeway'''

Loop 101 begins in the city of [[Tolleson, Arizona|Tolleson]] as the [[Agua Fria River|Agua Fria]] Freeway at a junction with [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|Interstate 10]]. Proceeding northward through the West Valley cities of [[Glendale, Arizona|Glendale]] and [[Peoria, AZ|Peoria]], Loop 101 turns eastward along the Beardsley Road alignment. In the northern section of [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]], there is an interchange with [[Interstate 17 (Arizona)|Interstate 17]], which is where the [[Pima]] Freeway segment begins.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/Valley_Freeways/Loop_101/Agua_Fria/index.asp
| title = Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway)
| publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>

Remaining eastbound, the [[freeway]] meets the northern terminus of [[Arizona State Route 51|SR 51]] before turning southward in the city of [[Scottsdale, AZ|Scottsdale]] on the Pima Road alignment. Passing through the heart of the city, Loop 101 meets no freeways again until the [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]] four-level [[stack interchange|stack]], which is located partially over the [[Salt River (Arizona)|Salt River]].<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/Valley_Freeways/Loop_101/Pima/index.asp
| title = Loop 101 (Pima Freeway)
| publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>

Proceeding southward as the Price Freeway, Loop 101 enters [[Tempe, AZ|Tempe]] and encounters a junction with [[U.S. Route 60 in Arizona|US 60]] before entering [[Chandler, AZ|Chandler]] and terminating at the [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]].<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/Valley_Freeways/Loop_101/Price/index.asp
| title = Loop 101 (Price Freeway)
| publisher = Arizona Department of Transportation
| accessdate = 2008-10-12}} </ref>

===[[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]]===
'''Red Mountain Freeway/Santan Freeway'''

The Red Mountain Freeway begins at the [[Mini Stack]] junction with [[Arizona State Route 51|SR 51]] and [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|Interstate 10]] before heading east into [[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]]. [[Arizona State Route 143|SR 143]] and [[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]] intersect the Red Mountain Freeway at various points in the city prior to the road entering the northern reaches of [[Mesa, Arizona|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.<ref> {{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}} </ref> 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 [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]] partial [[beltway]] and begins at [[U.S. Route 60 in Arizona|US 60]], heading south into the town of [[Gilbert, Arizona|Gilbert]]. Turning westward near [[Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport]], the freeway passes through [[Chandler, AZ|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 [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]]—where an [[interchange (road)|interchange]] was built with Loop 202 expansion westward in mind. [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=AZ-202&daddr=33.387306,-111.647873&hl=en&geocode=FZL8-wEdhh5T-Q%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=11&sll=33.371825,-111.8573&sspn=0.288434,0.615234&ie=UTF8&ll=33.36437,-111.809235&spn=0.288459,0.615234&z=11]

==Former freeway==
===[[Arizona State Route 153|SR 153]]===
'''''Sky Harbor Expressway (1992-2007)'''''

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

[[Arizona State Route 153|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. <ref> {{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}} </ref>

==Proposed, but never built==
===[[Arizona State Route 50|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 [[Arizona State Route 303|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 [[Arizona Department of Transportation|ADOT]] auctioned off all the [[right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] it had purchased for the [[freeway]], which was to be located between [[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]] and [[Arizona State Route 51|SR 51]] in the Central Valley.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.azcentral.com/flash/loop101/freeways.html
| title = Valley freeway system
| publisher = Arizona Republic
| accessdate = 2008-09-12}} </ref>

==Future freeways==
===[[Arizona State Route 85|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 in Arizona|Interstate 10]] and [[Interstate 8 in Arizona|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|freeway-style]] upgrade in mind.<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://www.azdot.gov/Highways/Projects/SR85/FactSheet.asp
| title = State Route 85 - Fact Sheet
| publisher = ADOT
| accessdate = 2008-01-21}} </ref>

===[[Arizona State Route 202|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 [[stack interchange|interchange]] of the Santan Freeway and [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|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 Mountains (Arizona)|South Mountain]] Freeway would follow the 55th Avenue alignment north to its terminus with Interstate 10 in west [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]].

The proposed final segment of [[Arizona State Route 202|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.<ref> {{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}} </ref>

===[[Arizona State Route 303|Loop 303]]===
'''Bob Stump Memorial Freeway''' ''(Estrella Freeway)''

The Bob Stump Memorial Freeway will begin at a [[stack interchange]] with [[Interstate 17 (Arizona)|I-17]] south of the [[Arizona State Route 74|SR 74]] exit. Continuing west, Loop 303 will be in northern [[Phoenix, AZ|Phoenix]] until the proposed interchange with Lake Pleasant Parkway when it turns southwest into [[Peoria, Arizona|Peoria]]. The freeway will then have an interchange with [[U.S. Route 60 (Arizona)|US 60]] as it enters [[Surprise, AZ|Surprise]], heading exactly south. Passing through [[Glendale, AZ|Glendale]] into [[Goodyear, AZ|Goodyear]], Loop 303's northern proposed section ends at a junction with [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]].<ref name="adot303"> {{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}} </ref>

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 [[Arizona State Route 801|SR 801]]. The final design concept report for the new [[freeway]] is due in early 2009.<ref name="adot303"/>

===[[Arizona State Route 801|SR 801]]===
'''State Route 801'''

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

===[[Arizona State Route 802|SR 802]]===
'''Williams Gateway Freeway'''

This is a proposed [[freeway]] in the Southeast [[Valley of the Sun|Valley]] that would connect the Santan Freeway segment of [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]] near [[Williams Gateway Airport|Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport]] to [[U.S. Route 60 in Arizona|US 60]] in western [[Pinal County, Arizona|Pinal County]]. It is currently under study.<ref> {{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}} </ref>

==Named interchanges and features==

The table below lists commonly used [[colloquialism|colloquialisms]] and nicknames for several interchanges and portions within the freeway system.

{| class=wikitable
!Name<ref> {{cite web
| url = http://kjzz.org/news/traffic/terms
| title = Traffic Terms
| publisher = KJZZ
| accessdate = 2008-03-17}} </ref>

!Type
!Freeway(s) Involved
!Location
!Aerial
|-
|[[Mini Stack]]
|[[Interchange (road)|Interchange]]
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|10|SR|51}}
|[[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]]
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.4617,-112.036021&spn=0.009004,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|[[SuperRedTan Interchange|SuperRedTan]]
|Interchange
|{{jct|state=AZ|SR|202|US|60}}
|[[Mesa, Arizona|Mesa]]
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.386733,-111.647701&spn=0.009012,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|[[The Stack]]
|Interchange
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|10|I|17}}
|Phoenix
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.46161,-112.107282&spn=0.009004,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|The Split
|Interchange
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|10|I|17}}
|Phoenix
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.428164,-112.0366&spn=0.009008,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|North Stack
|Interchange
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|17|SR|101}}
|Phoenix
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.668283,-112.110972&spn=0.008983,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|[[Superstition Freeway|Superstition]] Transition
|Interchange
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|10|US|60}}
|[[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]]
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.388543,-111.966004&spn=0.009012,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|[[Papago Freeway Tunnel]]
|[[Tunnel]]
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|10}}
|Phoenix
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.46161,-112.073421&spn=0.009004,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|Durango Curve
|Curve
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|17}}
|Phoenix
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.431423,-112.10475&spn=0.009007,0.02738&t=k&z=16]
|-
|[[Interstate 10 in Arizona#Route description|Broadway Curve]]
|Curve
|{{jct|state=AZ|I|10}}
|Tempe
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.406009,-111.97506&spn=0.01802,0.05476&t=k&z=15]
|-
|Dreamy Draw
|[[Mountain pass]]
|{{jct|state=AZ|SR|51}}
|Phoenix
|[http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33.565178,-112.030678&spn=0.017987,0.05476&t=k&z=15]
|}

==Funding==
[[Phoenix, Arizona|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 [[freeway]]s that were currently in the Regional Transportation Plan. At the time, this included the unbuilt or partially unbuilt: [[Sky Harbor Expressway]], [[Interstate 10 in Arizona|I-10]], [[Arizona State Route 51|SR 51]], [[Arizona State Route 143|SR 143]], [[Arizona State Route 101|Loop 101]], and [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]]. Most of these were completed by 2005, with Loop 202 being in the final stage of [[construction]].<ref name="adot"> {{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}} </ref>

In 1994, voters in [[Maricopa County, Arizona|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.<ref name="adot"/>
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.<ref name="adot"/>

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.<ref name="adot"/>

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.<ref> {{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}}</ref> 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.<ref> {{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}}</ref>

As it turns out, the 1985 plan was not fully completed by 2007 due to the lingering unfinished segment of the [[Arizona State Route 202|Loop 202]] between University Avenue and Power Road in [[Mesa, Arizona|Mesa]], where work wrapped up on July 21, 2008.<ref> {{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}} </ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== 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]


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Transportation in Arizona]]
*[[List of districts and neighborhoods of Los Angeles]]
* [[Arizona Department of Transportation]]
* [[Valley Metro (Phoenix)]]

{{Phoenix-area freeways}}


[[Category:Phoenix-area freeways| ]]
{{Los Angeles}}
[[Category:Los Angeles County regions]]
[[Category:Transportation in Phoenix‎, Arizona|Freeways]]

Revision as of 03:22, 13 October 2008

Map showing existing, planned, and conceptual freeways in Metro Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona, United States contains one of the nation's largest and fastest growing freeway systems, boasting over 1,405 lane miles as of 2008.[1]

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.[2]

The 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 been "tremendously successful".[3]

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.[4]

Existing freeways

Interstate 10

Papago Freeway/Maricopa Freeway

I-10 west at The Split interchange with I-17 north

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.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

US 60

Superstition Freeway

View east along Route 60, Phoenix

US 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.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12]

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15] 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. [1]

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. [16]

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.[17]

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.[18]

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.[19]

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.[20]

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.[20]

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.[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.[22]

Named interchanges and features

The table below lists commonly used colloquialisms and nicknames for several interchanges and portions within the freeway system.

Name[23] Type Freeway(s) Involved Location Aerial
Mini Stack Interchange I-10 / SR 51 Phoenix [2]
SuperRedTan Interchange SR 202 / US 60 Mesa [3]
The Stack Interchange I-10 / I-17 Phoenix [4]
The Split Interchange I-10 / I-17 Phoenix [5]
North Stack Interchange I-17 / SR 101 Phoenix [6]
Superstition Transition Interchange I-10 / US 60 Tempe [7]
Papago Freeway Tunnel Tunnel I-10 Phoenix [8]
Durango Curve Curve I-17 Phoenix [9]
Broadway Curve Curve I-10 Tempe [10]
Dreamy Draw Mountain pass SR 51 Phoenix [11]

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.[24]

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.[24]

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.[24]

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.[24]

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.[25] 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.[26]

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.[27]

References

  1. ^ "Congestion". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  2. ^ "Freeways and Expressways". National Association of Realtors. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  3. ^ "8.4.2 Phoenix (AZ)" (PDF). Minnesota DOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  4. ^ "ADOT now provides freeway travel..." ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  5. ^ "Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  6. ^ "Tempe Pushes for 24 lanes on Broadway Curve". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  7. ^ "Interstate 10 (Maricopa Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  8. ^ "1961 map". Rand McNally. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  9. ^ "Mom, soldier and Hopi Indian: 'She fought and died valiantly'". CNN. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  10. ^ "US 60 (Superstition Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  11. ^ "State Route 143 (Hohokam Expressway)". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  12. ^ "Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  13. ^ "Loop 101 (Pima Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  14. ^ "Loop 101 (Price Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  15. ^ "Freeway opening scheduled for July 21". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  16. ^ "Major Amendment to Regional Transportation Plan Approved". Maricopa Association of Governments. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  17. ^ "Valley freeway system". Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  18. ^ "State Route 85 - Fact Sheet". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  19. ^ "Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway)". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  20. ^ a b "Loop 303 North of I-10". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  21. ^ "State Route 801". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  22. ^ "State Route 802 (Williams Gateway Freeway)". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  23. ^ "Traffic Terms". KJZZ. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  24. ^ a b c d "Introduction to the Phoenix Urban Area Regional Freeway System". ADOT. Retrieved 2008-01-21.
  25. ^ "2005 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATUS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSITION 400" (PDF). Maricopa Association of Governments. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  26. ^ "Ruling keeps roads, land measures off Ariz. ballot". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  27. ^ "Freeway opening scheduled for July 21". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2008-07-11.

External links

See also

Template:Phoenix-area freeways

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