Arizona State Route 101
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
State Route 101, or Loop 101, is a 61-mile (97 km) semi-beltway encompassing much of the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area. It connects several suburbs of Phoenix, including Glendale, Peoria, North Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler. Construction began in the late-1980s and was completed in 2001.
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[edit] Route Description
Loop 101 begins west of Phoenix in Avondale at exit 133B of Interstate 10. From there, it heads north through Glendale, passing the University of Phoenix Stadium and the Glendale Arena. Continuing through Peoria, it passes the Peoria Sports Complex before heading east.
At milepost 23, Loop 101 intersects Interstate 17 near the Deer Valley Airport, 15 miles north of Downtown Phoenix. Continuing east, it passes through the Union Hills and then crosses the northern terminus of State Route 51 at milepost 30. East of its junction with State Route 51, Loop 101 curves south through Scottsdale.
Continuing south, Loop 101 crosses the northern section of Loop 202 in Tempe at milepost 51, near the campus of Arizona State University. It then crosses US 60 at milepost 55 before ending at the southern portion of Loop 202 in Chandler.
[edit] Photo Enforcement
In 2006, Scottsdale installed speed enforcement cameras along its stretch of Loop 101 to combat criticism of a high fatality rate along its section of freeway.
The photo enforcement is based on inductive sheeting on the freeway bed located at 6 particular spots along the freeway (3 in each direction). The photo enforcement is in a trial phase, with the trial ending in December of 2006. At this point, Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Arizona Department of Transportation will decide whether or not to extend the program.
There has been much criticism of the program since its inception. For instance, in May of 2006, a Hyundai vehicle was clocked traveling nearly 150 Miles Per Hour on the freeway. Scottsdale Police arrested the alleged driver soon afterwards. According to Hyundai, the vehicle the suspect was driving was not capable of traveling more than 130 MPH.
[edit] Nicknames
Sections of Loop 101 are given nicknames:
- Agua Fria in the west valley from the I-10 to the I-17
- Pima Freeway in the east valley from the I-17 to the north section of the 202
- Price Freeway from the north section of the 202 to the south section of the 202
[edit] External links
- Western Exit Guide - Arizona 101
- Agua Fria Loop 101 construction history
- Pima Loop 101 construction history
- Price Loop 101 construction history
