Arizona State Route 51

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State Route 51 (SR 51), also known as Piestewa Freeway, is a numbered state highway in Phoenix, Arizona. It connects Interstate 10 in downtown Phoenix with the Loop 101 beltway on the north side of Phoenix. It is a largely north-south route and is named for a park which it traverses, the Piestewa Peak Recreation Area. Rapid growth of the east side of greater Phoenix made it necessary for the traffic needs of the area.

The original five miles of the freeway between McDowell Rd and Glendale Ave were built by the City of Phoenix in 1987, because it was never up to state freeway standards and lacked exit numbers, it was handed over to the Arizona Department of Transportation in 1992. Since then, it has been extended to the Loop 101 interchange and retrofitted with rubberized asphalt, standardized signage, an additional general purpose lane, and a high occupancy vehicle lane.

The decorative pots mounted on top of the noise mitigation walls were a source of controversy at the time of their installation due to cost and aesthetics, etc. One resident installed a gold toilet in protest. They were all taken down during the ADOT reconstruction project between McDowell Rd and Shea Blvd.

The freeway was once named the Squaw Peak Parkway. The name, perceived as a derogatory term for Native American women, had caused ADOT to quietly remove the official term for a few years until Lori Piestewa was killed in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The freeway and the mountain were renamed after her on March 1, 2003.

AZ-51 was once the lowest-numbered state highway in Arizona, but this distinction now belongs to State Route 48, near Prescott. AZ-51 was originally planned as an Interstate 510 but has never been numbered as such at any stage of completion. The number "51" is, of course, "510" without the final zero.

The Format, a popular band based in Phoenix, refer to the highway in their 2003 song "Tune Out," saying "the 51 is backed up and too slow."

[edit] Exit List

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Exit	Northbound	Southbound	Notes
0		East Tucson (HOV Left Exit - No Airport Access)
0		East \| West Red Mountain Freeway \| Phoenix - Los Angeles
1	McDowell Road	McDowell Road
2	Thomas Road 20th Street	Thomas Road 20th Street	Arizona Heart Institute & Phoenix Childrens Hospital
3	Indian School Road	Indian School Road	VA Hospital
4A	Highland Ave Camelback Road	Colter Ave Camelback Road
4		Bethany Home Road
4B	Bethany Home Road
5	Glendale Ave Lincoln Drive	Glendale Ave Lincoln Drive
7	Northern Ave	Northern Ave
Dreamy Draw Passage
8	32nd Street
9	Shea Blvd	Shea Blvd
10	Cactus Road	Cactus Road
11	Thunderbird Road
12	Greenway Road	Greenway Road
13	Bell Road	Bell Road
14	Union Hills Road	Union Hills Road	Paradise Valley Community College
15A	East
15B	West