First bridge for South Mountain Freeway opens to Laveen drivers

PHOENIX — The first bridge that was constructed for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway interchange is officially open for traffic.

The Arizona Department of Transportation announced Monday that crews have completed a bridge near Elliot Road and 59th Avenue in Laveen that allows traffic on Elliot Road to safely travel over the freeway.

The intersection was closed for five months to allow for the construction of the bridge. The closure required drivers to detour to Dobbins Road between 59th and 75th avenues.

It is one of 13 interchanges and 40 bridges planned for the South Mountain Freeway.

More work will need to continue to complete the interchange, including paving the ramps and mainline freeway, signage, lighting, final striping, signals and landscaping, the department said.

A different street in Laveen reopened last month after crews worked for four months to complete the first phase of work on the South Mountain Freeway interchange.

The Arizona Department of Transportation said Southern Avenue reopened between 61st Drive and 64th Avenue in Laveen on March 26.

The closure began on Nov. 27 and allowed Connect 202 Partners crews to build the southern half of the interchange, one of 13 on the 22-mile freeway.

Crews have also constructed more than 2,000 feet of roadway improvements in relation to the interchange.

Those improvements included installing underground utilities and drainage structures, building retaining walls, digging up more than 300,000 yards of the ground to create bridge approaches and ramps and constructing a 272-foot, two-span bridge.

The South Mountain Freeway interchange will be a 22-mile freeway that will provide a direct link between the West Valley and the East Valley.

It was approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan.

It was expected to be complete in 2019.

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