Feds clear way for Phoenix-area’s $1.9 billion freeway project
Mar 11, 2015, 11:43 AM | Updated: 11:44 am
PHOENIX — A controversial freeway that would connect southeastern parts of the Valley with Interstate 10 has gained final approval from the federal government.
The nearly $2 billion Loop 202 extension will take drivers from the Ahwatukee
section of Phoenix around South Mountain and onto I-10 on the city’s west side.
The approval from the Federal Highway Administration cleared the way for
property that lies in the path of the freeway to be acquired and for
construction to begin on the 22-mile extension.
The Arizona Department of Transportation has been trying to get the project off the ground since the 1980s.
Opponents included nearby residents and environmentalists.
The South Mountain Freeway is expected to be completed in about four years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
