Another portion of future South Mountain Freeway open to drivers

PHOENIX — A yearslong freeway project in the Phoenix area has reached another important milestone.

The Arizona Department of Transportation recently announced that drivers can use another section of the future Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

The southbound frontage road along 59th Avenue between Van Buren Street and Buckeye Road in west Phoenix is open for two-way traffic.

The northbound frontage road will be constructed later this year.

Since January, 59th Avenue had been closed to allow crews to demolish and remove the old pavement to make room for the frontage roads.

Drivers began using the first stretch of the South Mountain Freeway in February, when both directions of Pecos Road from 17th Avenue to west of Desert Foothills Parkway was diverted onto the freeway’s future eastbound lanes.

The South Mountain Freeway will be a 22-mile link between the East Valley and West Valley and provide a much-needed alternative to I-10 through downtown Phoenix.

It is expected to be complete in 2020.

Drivers are encouraged to slow down, obey the speed limit and allow extra travel time around construction zones as work continues.

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