New westbound Loop 101 lane opens between 51st and 75th avenues

Arizona transportation officials have reached a key milestone in a yearslong effort to expand freeways across metro Phoenix.

A fourth westbound lane on the Loop 101 Agua Fria Freeway opened Monday between 51st and 75th avenues, giving drivers more room and potentially easing congestion in the northwest Valley. The opening followed a weeklong closure in the area.

More details about the Loop 101 widening project

The new lane is part of a $140 million Arizona Department of Transportation project that began in 2024.

Crews are adding one general-purpose lane in each direction between 75th Avenue and Interstate 17, along with other improvements designed to help traffic move more efficiently on the freeway and nearby cross streets.

Additional work is ongoing, including construction of another freeway entrance turn lane along southbound 75th Avenue.

ADOT expects to complete the full project in spring 2027. It is funded through the Proposition 400 regional transportation plan, which Maricopa County voters approved in 2004 and the Maricopa Association of Governments manages.

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