South Mountain Freeway preliminary construction to begin, public meetings scheduled

PHOENIX — About three weeks after a federal court dismissed legal challenges, preliminary construction of the South Mountain Freeway is set to begin Monday in Phoenix.

The freeway is scheduled to open in 2019 as a new southern route that will connect Chandler and Ahwatukee to the West Valley.

“It will run 22 miles and clip around the South Mountain park,” said Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Dustin Krugel. “Then it will head further north and connect to Interstate 10 in the West Valley.”

Krugel said the freeway will be a vital part of Phoenix’s future.

“Phoenix is continuing to grow,” he said. “With that growth, we’re seeing more congestion on our freeways. This is going to provide another alternative for motorists and help the region tremendously as a whole.”

ADOT wants to give people an opportunity to learn more about the freeway, and to entertain some ideas about it.

“Later this month, ADOT is going to be hosting three public meetings in Ahwatukee, Laveen and Phoenix,” Krugel said. “These meetings are going to provide information on the freeway’s location, its profile, the traffic interchange configurations, the noise barrier locations, as well as the initial concepts for landscaping and aesthetics.”

The dates, locations and times of the meetings are:

• Tuesday, Sept. 27, Desert Vista High School, Multipurpose Room, 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, Betty Fairfax High School, Multipurpose Room, 8225 S. 59th Ave., Laveen Village
• Thursday, Oct. 6, Fowler Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix

All three meetings are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and last two hours, with presentations slated to start at 6:30 p.m.

More public meetings will be held later this year to share final design and construction plans, and to provide more information on what to expect during construction.

For more information about the South Mountain Freeway, click here.

Follow @BobMcClay