South Mountain Freeway should be ready 3 years ahead of schedule for $122M less

Mar 2, 2016, 12:10 PM | Updated: Jun 13, 2022, 11:07 am

(ADOT)...

(ADOT)

(ADOT)

PHOENIX — A Phoenix-area freeway that took years to be approved, could be finished early for over $100 million less than previously expected.

The Arizona Department of Transportation announced recently the highly contested Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway extension would be completed in 2019, three years earlier than originally projected.

The partnership between the state highway agency and the project team Connect 202 helped speed things along, ADOT Director John Halikowski said in a release. The project’s early date would save about $122 million.

The 22 miles connecting the east and west sides of the Valley will be constructed and maintained by Connect 202 for 30 years after completion.

The project will include a 15-foot-wide multi-use trail along the existing Pecos Road alignment from 40th Street to 17th Avenue.

The federal government gave final approval for the nearly $2 billion loop extension in March 2015.

Getting the freeway built has been a source of some frustration, particularly for many residents whose homes stood in the path of the extension.

ADOT spent just about 20 years buying up properties — houses, businesses and industrial sites — in the southeast Valley for the expansion.

At least two groups filed lawsuits to block the freeway.

In May 2015, a advocacy group sued to halt the plan. In July of that year, the Gila River Indian Community also went to court, citing the loop would desecrate sacred ground.

Homeowners had begun receiving letters from ADOT in October of 2014 notifying them of potential right-of-way issues. Those homes were in the Ahwatukee and Laveen sections of Phoenix, along Pecos Road between 40th Street west to 17th Avenue and around Elliot Road north to Baseline Road.

Homes began coming down in late August 2015.

(KTAR Photo/Jim Cross)

(KTAR Photo/Jim Cross)

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

(Pexels Photo)...

Brandon Gray

Construction on The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria underway

Construction on The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria has started, the shopping center owner Vestar announced in a press release Friday. 

1 day ago

(Tim Hacker/ Mesa Public Schools)...

KTAR.com

ADHS offering free drinking water lead screening for schools, child care facilities

The Arizona Department of Health Services is offering free drinking water lead screening opportunities for schools and child care facilities as part of a nationwide program.

1 day ago

Arizona Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (Arizona State Legislature and Pixabay Photos)...

Brandon Gray

Arizona Rep. Stahl Hamilton violated House rules by hiding bibles, Ethics Committee finds

The Arizona House Ethics Committee released its findings Friday on an ethics complaint filed against State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton.  

1 day ago

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)...

Associated Press

Hobbs vetoes bill requiring schools to limit transgender students’ bathroom access

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation to restrict use of public school restrooms by transgender students.

1 day ago

(Pexels Photo)...

KTAR.com

Suspect arrested after allegedly fatally shooting Little Caesars coworker in Glendale

Police have arrested a suspect accused of fatally shooting a coworker in Glendale on Friday.

1 day ago

Follow @suelenrivera...

SuElen Rivera

Tempe gets funding from Maricopa County to operate indoor cooling center

The city of Tempe received a grant from the state's most populous county to operate a new indoor cooling center in the East Valley.

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

South Mountain Freeway should be ready 3 years ahead of schedule for $122M less