New highway could connect West Valley to downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX — Officials in Maricopa County are looking to construct a new part of a highway in order to connect downtown Phoenix to the West Valley.

Bob Hazlett with the Maricopa Association of Governments told KTAR News 92.3 FM that the proposed segment of the State Route 30, also known as the Tres Rios Freeway, would connect the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway interchange to the Interstate 17.

“What this study is going to be doing is to look at that particular segment and figure out what needs to be done to bring that particular segment to bear,” he said.

“The section we’re looking at is completely inside the city of Phoenix.”

Hazlett said S.R. 30 is a corridor that was meant to be a reliever route for the Interstate 10 in the West Valley.

“Originally, plans had it running between the new South Mountain Freeway to the State Route 85 in Buckeye,” he said.

“As early as mid-2017, the regional counsel felt it was important to bring it into downtown Phoenix from South Mountain to the I-17 at the Durango Curve.”

Hazlett said the new segment would be completely separate from the I-10, running about five or six miles south of the freeway, and would roughly follow the Salt and Gila rivers.

He said the proposed highway would do more than provide relief for drivers.

“It would open up an area that previously hasn’t seen a lot of development,” Hazlett added, “so property can develop as it dictates.”

Hazlett said they are looking for input on the proposed highway. The group was collecting proposals on the freeway this week.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Jeremy Foster contributed to this report. 

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