Arizona State Route 202

State Loop 202 marker

State Loop 202
Route information
Maintained by ADOT
Length: 57.17 mi[1] (92.01 km)
Existed: 1990 – present
Major junctions
CCW end: I-10 in Phoenix
 
CW end: Pecos Road in Ahwatukee
Location
Counties: Maricopa
Highway system
← SR 195SR 210 →

State Route 202, or Loop 202, (spoken as two-oh-two) is a partial beltway looping around the eastern Phoenix metropolitan area of central Arizona. It traverses the eastern end of the city of Phoenix, in addition to Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert, making it very vital to the metropolitan area freeway system.

Loop 202 has various names along its route:

Route description

The route currently begins at the Mini Stack interchange with Interstate 10 (I-10) and State Route 51 (SR 51) in Phoenix, and ends at I-10 near Ahwatukee.

Loop 202 consists of three sections. Two of these, the Red Mountain Freeway and the Santan Freeway, have been fully completed. The third section, known as the South Mountain Freeway, is under construction.

Red Mountain Freeway

The first section of Loop 202 to open was the Red Mountain Freeway. It runs from the I-10/SR 51 Mini Stack interchange to US  60. It passes over the Salt River and through Tempe and Mesa en route, with an interchange with Loop 101 in Tempe. The final segment of the freeway from Power Road to University Drive opened on July 21, 2008.[2] This opening marked the completion of the original Regional Freeway System as approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 by Proposition 300.[3]

In 2006, this portion of Loop 202 was used to portray a Saudi Arabian superhighway in the 2007 film, The Kingdom. Filming also took place at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus. The city of Mesa received $40,000 for the use of the freeway from NBC Universal.[4]

As of October 2012, HOV lanes on the Red Mountain section run from I-10/SR 51 to Gilbert Road. In 2015, the HOV lanes were extended from Gilbert Road to Broadway Road. HOV lanes are planned to extend to US 60 in Mesa, eventually tying into planned HOV lanes on the Santan Freeway.

Santan Freeway

Completed in 2006,[5] the Santan Freeway serves the southeast valley cities of Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa. It provides access to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, the former Williams Air Force Base. Beginning at the SuperRedTan Interchange with US 60 in Mesa, the freeway runs south and turns westward in Gilbert near the airport. A few miles later the Santan is running in Chandler, where it has a junction with Loop 101 in the vicinity of the Chandler Fashion Center. Following this interchange, the Santan Freeway section of Loop 202 encounters its terminus at a stack interchange with I-10 near Ahwatukee.[6]

The Santan section has HOV lanes between I-10/Pecos Rd. and Gilbert Rd. Long term plans call for HOV lanes to extend to US 60 and to the HOV lanes on the Red Mountain section.

History

The highway originally was assigned many different route numbers along its path. The portion of the Red Mountain Freeway west of the Pima/Price Freeways was formerly known as the "East Papago Freeway," and it was initially designated SR 217.[7] The remainder of the Red Mountain Fwy. was to be SR 216.[8] The San Tan Freeway was originally routed as SR 220.[9] The South Mountain Freeway portion was initially supposed to be SR 218.[10] The Loop 202 designation was first assigned in 1987, along the East Papago and Red Mountain Freeway corridors and the portion of the San Tan Freeway east of Price Road.[11] At that time, the portion of Loop 202 west of Price Rd. was to become part of Loop 101.[12] But in 1991, the proposed South Mountain Freeway was renumbered as part of Loop 202.[13] Although the San Tan Freeway portion of Loop 101, from I-10 to Price Rd., has never officially been renumbered, this section has been signed as Loop 202 since its opening.

Future

The third segment of Loop 202, named the South Mountain Freeway, received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration, on March 10, 2015, with construction scheduled for completion as early as 2019.[14][15]

Before that it was, and remains, the most controversial[16] segment of the Loop 202 partial beltway. Construction was delayed due to tension between three groups: regional transportation planners, who insisted that the freeway is necessary to ensure smooth traffic flow in the coming decades;[17] residents of the adjacent Ahwatukee community, who could lose 120 homes to eminent domain depending on the road's final alignment; and leaders and residents of the adjoining Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), who have oscillated between opposing and supporting the freeway in recent years.[18]

The South Mountain Freeway has two distinct segments: the "eastern segment" that straddles the Ahwatukee-GRIC border and the "western segment" that will parallel 59th Avenue through the southwest Phoenix community of Laveen. Together, these segments would form a 21.9-mile bypass around Downtown Phoenix, linking the metropolitan area's southwestern and southeastern suburbs. The freeway as currently approved would begin at the existing four-level symmetrical stack interchange between I-10 and the Santan Freeway on the Chandler-Ahwatukee border and terminate at I-10 and 59th Avenue west of Downtown Phoenix.[19]

The specific alignment of the freeway has been revised repeatedly since 1985, when Maricopa County voters originally approved its construction as part of the regional highway network envisioned under Proposition 300.[20] In 1988, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), the region's transportation planning agency, suggested an alignment of the freeway's western segment along 55th Avenue and an alignment of the eastern segment along Pecos Road.[21] A federal study in 2001 required ADOT to reexamine those suggestions, and the task of recommending the final alignment fell to a Citizen's Advisory Team formed in 2002. In April 2006, that panel released their final recommendations to route the western portion of the freeway four miles further west to connect with Loop 101, and to reject the proposed alignment of the eastern portion along Pecos Road, suggesting that the latter be built on Gila River Indian Community land instead.[22][23] Two months later, ADOT overruled the panel's suggestion for the western segment and opted for the current 59th Avenue alignment instead.[21]

In February 2012, a non-binding referendum was held in the Gila River Indian Community on whether the eastern portion of the freeway should be built on community land several miles south of Pecos Road. Options in the referendum were to build on community land, off community land, or not at all. The "no build" option won a plurality of votes, receiving 720 votes out of a total 1,481 cast.[24] MAG sent out a press release soon after making it clear that construction of the freeway would move forward as planned along the Pecos Road alignment.[17] Expecting this outcome, MAG and ADOT had previously (in 2010) shrunk the freeway's footprint from 10 lanes to eight to minimize its impact on Ahwatukee.[25] Fearing the worst possible outcome of the freeway being built without exits onto community land (as would be the case with the Pecos Road alignment), Gila River Indian Community residents quickly formulated plans for a new referendum that would exclude the "no build" option, leaving only "yes on Gila River or no on Gila River."[26] The tribal government rejected this proposal in July 2013.[27]

As late as September 2013, the freeway still faced active opposition. A non-profit group called the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment filed a civil-rights complaint with ADOT in July, claiming the freeway would disproportionately and adversely affect tribe members. A freeway opposition group called Protecting Arizona's Resources and Children planned an environmental lawsuit.[28] And the Environmental Protection Agency in August 2013 raised several objections to the state's 12-year, $21 million draft environmental impact statement that had deemed construction of the freeway to be more beneficial to the environment, by improving traffic flow and thus reducing pollution, than building no freeway at all. The EPA claimed that the statement contained overly optimistic traffic projections, did not sufficiently address air quality concerns, and could harm neighboring communities and environmental resources.[29]

In March 2015, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a Record of Decision approving the project and selecting a build alternative. ADOT immediately thereafter commenced right-of-way acquisition and the procurement of final design and construction services in the form of a design-build-maintain contractor or "developer." The developer will be selected at the end of 2015 and freeway construction will begin in early 2016, with the Chandler Boulevard extension project to facilitate local access beginning in summer 2015. The freeway is planned to be open to traffic in late 2019 or early 2020.[30] However, new lawsuits in June 2015 from the group Protecting Arizona's Resources and Children, the Sierra Club, and the Gila River Indian Community threaten to delay the freeway's construction.[31][32]

On August 26, 2015, ADOT started demolition of the first houses along the route for the South Mountain Freeway.[33]

On February 27, 2016, the contract to design, build, and maintain the freeway was awarded to Connect 202 Partners, a joint venture led by Fluor Corporation, with Fluor, Granite Construction, Ames Construction, and Parsons Brinckerhoff being responsible for the final design and construction, and with Fluor and DBi Services, LLC being responsible for maintenance for 30 years.[34]

A six-mile stretch of the freeway, from 40th St to 17th Ave, will include a 16 foot wide bike path. The path will be on the south side of the freeway and will also be open to pedestrians. The path was included because the existing roadway had been a popular cycling route for years.[35]

The first phase of construction of the South Mountain Freeway segment of Loop 202 began on September 19, 2016 with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 Santan interchange.[36]

In early 2017, ADOT announced an updated design for the freeway, including Arizona's first diverging diamond interchanges at Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Avenue; a reconfiguration near 51st Avenue that moves the freeway interchange to Estrella Drive in order to avoid a GRIC well; and a pedestrian bridge to connect the Del Rio subdivisions divided by the freeway.[37][38]

By April 2017, ADOT had purchased 1,387 acres (561 ha), or 90% of the land needed for the freeway. While construction was underway in 2017 on both ends of the freeway segment, no work will occur on a 5-mile center segment adjacent to South Mountain until a final decision is made by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. A ruling is expected in mid-2018 in the action brought by the Gila River Indian Community.[39]

Exit list

Exit numbers of the South Mountain Freeway portion are approximate. The entire route is in Maricopa County.

Locationmi
[1][40][41]		kmExitDestinationsNotes
Phoenix0.000.00Begin Red Mountain Freeway
I-10 west – Los AngelesCounterclockwise terminus; exit 147A on I-10
0.280.451A I-10 east / SR 51 north – Tucson, Sky Harbor AirportMini Stack; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; south end of SR 51
0.310.50— I-10 westHOV interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 147C on I-10
0.751.211B24th Street
1.762.831C32nd Street
3.275.26240th Street / 44th Street
3.515.653 SR 143 / Washington Street / McDowell RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance; exit 5 on SR 143
4.37–
4.52		7.03–
7.27		452nd Street / Van Buren Street
Tempe5.358.615 To SR 143 south – Sky Harbor AirportWestbound exit and eastbound entrance; access via unsigned SR 202 Spur
5.71–
6.37		9.19–
10.25		6Priest Drive / Center Parkway
7.7312.447Scottsdale Road / Rural Road
Salt River8.2213.23West end of bridge
8.7014.008McClintock DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
9.2214.84East end of bridge
Mesa9.66–
9.92		15.55–
15.96		9 Loop 101Exit 51 on Loop 101
11.0717.8210Dobson Road
12.0719.4211Alma School Road
12.7320.4912McKellips RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
13.2321.2913 SR 87 (Country Club Drive) – Payson
16.5526.6316Gilbert RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
18.1029.1317McDowell RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
19.0530.6619Val Vista Drive
20.0732.3020Greenfield Road
21.0833.9221 Higley Road – Falcon Field Airport
22.1735.6822Recker Road
22.9536.9323APower RoadEastbound exit and westbound entrance
23.7338.1923BMcDowell RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
24.9140.0925McKellips Road
26.3942.4726Brown Road
27.8644.8427University Drive to Apache Trail / Main StreetSigned as University Dr. only northbound
28.9246.5428Broadway Road
30.42–
30.60		48.96–
49.25		30A-B US 60 – Phoenix, GlobeSigned as exits 30A (east) and 30B (west);
SuperRedTan Interchange; exit 190 on US 60
Red Mountain Freeway transitions to Santan Freeway
31.0149.9131Baseline RoadNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
32.0551.5832Guadalupe Road
33.0553.1933Elliot Road
33.95–
35.25		54.64–
56.73		34A SR 24 eastTo Ellsworth Road; west end of SR 24
34.15–
35.75		54.96–
57.53		34B Hawes Road – Gateway Airport
Mesa–Gilbert line36.5558.8236 Power Road – Gateway AirportAlso serves ASU Polytechnic Campus
Gilbert38.5562.0438Higley Road
40.7565.5840Williams Field RoadServes SanTan Village Mall and Power Center
41.7567.1941Santan Village ParkwayEastbound exit and westbound entrance
42.4168.2542Val Vista DriveServes Mercy Gilbert Hospital
Gilbert–Chandler line44.4871.5844Gilbert RoadServes Gilbert Crossroads Power Center
Chandler45.4873.1945 Cooper Road – Chandler Airport
46.4874.8046McQueen Road
47.5576.5247 SR 87 (Arizona Avenue)Serves Downtown Chandler
48.5678.1548Alma School Road
49.5679.7649Dobson RoadWestbound exit and eastbound entrance
50.5881.4050A Loop 101 northClockwise end of Loop 101; exits 61B-C on Loop 101
50.6581.5150BPrice RoadServes Chandler Fashion Center
50.7481.6650C Loop 101 northWestbound exit and eastbound entrance;
HOV interchange; exit 61D on Loop 101
51.6583.1251McClintock Drive / Chandler Village DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
53.6586.3453Kyrene Road
55.16–
55.30		88.77–
89.00		55A-B I-10 (Maricopa Freeway) – Tucson, PhoenixSigned as exits 55A (west) and 55B (east);
exits 161A–B on I-10
55C I-10 westHOV interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; exit 161C on I-10
Phoenix55.30–
57.17		89.00–
92.01		Pecos Road westTemporary CW terminus; future transition to South Mountain Freeway
5640th StreetPlanned diamond interchange[37]
59.1795.225824th StreetPlanned diamond interchange[37]
60.9798.1260Desert Foothills ParkwayPlanned diverging diamond interchange[37]
62.97101.346217th AvenuePlanned diverging diamond interchange[37]
64Estrella DrivePlanned double roundabout interchange[37]
66Elliot RoadPlanned diamond interchange[37]
67Dobbins RoadPlanned modified diamond interchange[37]
68Baseline RoadPlanned diamond interchange[37]
69Southern AvenuePlanned diamond interchange[37]
70 SR 30 westPlanned interchange with the eastern terminus of SR 30[37]
71Broadway RoadPlanned diamond interchange[37]
72Lower Buckeye RoadPlanned diamond interchange with 59th Avenue service roads[37]
73Buckeye RoadPlanned diamond interchange with 59th Avenue service roads[37]
74Van Buren StreetPlanned diamond interchange with 59th Avenue service roads[37]
I-10 eastPlanned HOV ramps; northbound exit and southbound entrance[37]
75 I-10 (Papago Freeway)Planned directional-T interchange to replace exit 138 on I-10[37]
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Spur route

Arizona Spur 202 is an unsigned state highway located in Phoenix. It begins at the Red Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) at exit 5. It continues west, intersecting the Hohokam Expressway (SR 143) and ends at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. This is an unsigned route, marked by westbound exit signs from Loop 202 as Sky Harbor Boulevard. The spur route was commissioned in 1993.[1]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Maricopa County. All exits are unnumbered.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Phoenix1.221.96 Sky Harbor Boulevard – Sky Harbor AirportContinuation beyond western terminus
1.20–
1.10		1.93–
1.77		44th Street southFormer SR 153 (Sky Harbor Expressway); eastbound exit and westbound left entrance
44th Street northFormer SR 153 (Sky Harbor Expressway); eastbound left exit and westbound entrance
Phoenix–Tempe line1.031.66 SR 143 south to I-10No exit ramps to SR 143 north; no eastbound entrance from SR 143 south; exits 3A–B on SR 143
Tempe0.300.48Priest Drive / Center Parkway – Downtown TempeEastbound exit and westbound entrance
0.000.00 Loop 202 eastEastern terminus; exit 5 on Loop 202
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Roadway Inventory Management Section, Multimodal Planning Division (December 31, 2013). "2013 State Highway System Log" (PDF). Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Freeway opening scheduled for July 21". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, AZ. Retrieved July 10, 2008.
  3. ↑ Staff. "Loop 202 Power to University". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Is that Loop 202?". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved March 5, 2008.
  5. ↑ Staff. "Loop 202 (Santan Freeway)". Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  6. ↑ Project Map L202 (Map). Cartography by ADOT. Arizona Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 2, 2008.
  7. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Right-of-Way Resolutions - Route Number: 217". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Right-of-Way Resolutions - Route Number: 216". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Right-of-Way Resolutions - Route Number: 220". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Right-of-Way Resolutions - Route Number: 218". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  11. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Right-of-Way Resolutions - Route Number: 202L". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  12. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Right-of-Way Resolutions - Route Number: 101L". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  13. ↑ Breyer, Joe. "Arizona DOT Right-of-Way Resolution 1991-07-A-056". Arizona Highway Data. Works Consulting LLC. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 12, 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  15. ↑ "ADOT given green light to construct new freeway". Azcentral.com. 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  16. ↑ Caitlin Cruz. "Gila River landowners' signatures back South Mountain Freeway". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  17. 1 2 "MAG News". Azmag.gov. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  18. ↑ Cathryn Creno. "184 homes in South Mountain Freeway path, planners say". Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  19. ↑ "SR-202L ? South Mountain Freeway Design Review Summary" (PDF). Azmag.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  20. ↑ "2011 Annual Report" (PDF). Azmag.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  21. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  22. ↑ "Central District Projects". Azdot.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  23. ↑ "Central District Projects". Azdot.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  24. ↑ Holstege, Sean (2012-02-07). "Gila River tribe appears to reject South Mountain Freeway". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  25. ↑ "Central District Projects". Azdot.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  26. ↑ Seligman, Allie (2012-02-08). "Tribal vote may not end South Mountain Freeway struggle". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  27. ↑ Holstege, Sean. "No new tribal vote on South Mountain Freeway". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  28. ↑ Holstege, Sean. "Feds: South Mountain Freeway impact study flawed". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  29. ↑ "National Environmental Policy Act | US EPA" (PDF). Epa.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  30. ↑ "Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway) Project Homepage". Azdot.gov. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  31. ↑ "Opponents sue to stop Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  32. ↑ "Gila River tribe sues to prevent South Mountain Freeway". Azcentral.com. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  33. ↑ "State begins to remove homes in path of Phoenix freeway expansion - ABC15 Arizona". Abc15.com. 2015-08-27. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  34. ↑ "Fluor-Led Joint Venture Awarded Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway Project". Business Wire. February 29, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  35. ↑ Copolla, Chris (April 5, 2016). "South Mountain Freeway to include a bike path in Ahwatukee". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  36. ↑ "South Mountain Freeway construction scheduled at I-10/Loop 202 interchange". Arizona Department of Transportation. September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "South Mountain Freeway Flyover Visualization". ADOT (via YouTube). March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  38. ↑ Reiser, Lindsey (March 17, 2017). "New South Mountain Freeway to utilize "diverging diamond interchange"". AZFamily. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  39. ↑ Guzzom, John; Weil, Karen (May 29, 2017). "Construction Revs Up on P3 Feeway Project in Phoenix". Engineering News Record. p. 12.
  40. ↑ Google (January 16, 2016). "Arizona State Route 202" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  41. ↑ Google (January 16, 2016). "Pecos Road" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 16, 2016.

Route map: Google

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