PHOENIX — After decades in the making, construction of the South Mountain Freeway expansion is on track to be completed by the end of the year.
By the end of January, local traffic in Ahwatukee will be shifted off Pecos Road onto a small portion of the new freeway, according to ADOT spokesman Dustin Krugel. That will be the first part of the 22-mile extension open to the public.
“We still have a lot of work to do but we are entering the homestretch,” Krugel told ABC15. “That’s going to be good news for Valley motorists.”
Project officials estimate work is around two-thirds complete.
So what’s left to do? According to ADOT:
- Paving the entire eight-lane freeway
- Completing 40 bridges throughout the corridor, including two half-mile-long spans over the Salt River
- Constructing two flyover HOV ramps in the I-10 median for the I-10/Loop 202 interchange
- Shifting Pecos Road traffic onto portions of the freeway mainline through Ahwatukee
- Moving 59th Avenue traffic onto newly constructed Loop 202 frontage roads between the I-10 Papago Freeway and Lower Buckeye Road
- Completing construction of Arizona’s first two diverging diamond interchanges at Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Avenue
- Building five multi-use underpasses in the Center segment (51st Avenue to 32nd Lane) providing people and wildlife access to and from South Mountain Park
Krugel stressed the importance of planning ahead for closures and detours and slowing down in construction areas.
You can view a list and sign up for weekly traffic alerts on SouthMountainFreeway.com.
