Cactuses, native plants being replanted along South Mountain Freeway

PHOENIX — The Valley’s newest freeway has received a sort of homecoming from the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway has been outfitted with more than 1,000 native plants along the 22-mile stretch of highway, which officially opened Dec. 21.

The plants, which include saguaro cactuses and palo verde trees, were initially moved from the path of the freeway to temporary nurseries up to three years ago, are being placed back in the area, ADOT said in a press release.

“Saguaros and other native vegetation are an important part of the environment and an important part of the visual experience,” LeRoy Brady, ADOT’s chief landscape architect, said in the release. “We make a significant effort to retain saguaros of any size because we don’t want to lose those decades of growth.”

Replanting began in late November.

Construction on the freeway began in 2016. It is expected to carry about 117,000 vehicles each day in its first year.

The state’s largest single freeway project was also the first in Arizona’s history to be constructed through a public-private partnership.

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