Agency approves $225.5M plan to widen Loop 101 in North Valley

PHOENIX — North Valley commuters, relief is on the way.

The regional planning agency for metro Phoenix has approved funding to add one lane to the Loop 101 Pima Freeway in each direction between Interstate 17 in Phoenix and Pima Road in Scottsdale.

The Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council voted last week to move ahead with the $225.5 million plan.

“In addition to the lanes they’ll also do some auxiliary lane improvements, some technological improvements to push traffic a little faster, a little easier,” John Bullen, transportation, economic and finance manager for MAG, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

That includes rubberized asphalt overlay to make the roads quieter as well as drainage upgrades.

Construction, which will address bottlenecks on the 101 at I-17, Cave Creek Road, State Route 51 and Tatum Boulevard, is expected to start in March and last two years.

Bullen said traffic in the area has increased over the past five or six years as the economy has revved up.

“Our transportation model with all the job growth in the area and just increased commuters, we’ve really identified this as a corridor that we need to improve,” he said.

“We need to add lanes and be able to facilitate that additional capacity.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ali Vetnar contributed to this report.

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