South Mountain Freeway remains on track with latest court ruling

Started by mapman1071, October 27, 2016, 08:05:42 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

mapman1071



ADOT News Release

For additional information:

ADOT Media Relations

news@azdot.gov

800.949.8057


South Mountain Freeway remains on track with latest court ruling
Direct link between East Valley and West Valley scheduled to open in 2019
October 27, 2016

Work on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway remains on track with the U.S. District Court in Phoenix denying a third bid by opponents to halt construction.

An order released Wednesday, Oct. 26, denied the plaintiffs' motion for an injunction, saying, in part, that they are unlikely to prevail on appeal.

"I believe that the completed South Mountain Freeway will provide a great overall economic benefit to the growing Maricopa County region, and relief to users of the system, particularly where Interstate 10 passes through downtown Phoenix,"  Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski said. "We are moving forward with a project supported by Maricopa County voters and our partners — the city of Phoenix and the Maricopa Association of Governments — that will make the Phoenix metro area a better place to live and do business."

In August, the court granted the Federal Highway Administration's and ADOT's motions for summary judgment, concluding that the agencies complied with federal law in moving forward with the project. In July 2015, the court rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction that would have halted all work leading up to the start of construction.

Opponents have appealed the August ruling to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 22-mile freeway, expected to open by late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

Construction of the South Mountain Freeway began in September with improvements to the I-10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work includes extending Loop 202 HOV lanes and widening the shoulders to Pecos Road near 48th Street. Also underway is plant salvage work along the Pecos Road segment.

Construction of the mainline freeway is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.


Max Rockatansky

So....."VICTORY" again?  :rolleyes:  :-D  Sure will be interesting to see the work when it actually gets going.

compdude787

Cool! Glad that this project is moving along well and that the courts are not trying to block it.  :clap:

DJStephens

AZ 85 exists (and is posted as) a Phoenix bypass.  Much of state road 85 (between I-8 and I-10) has been double barreled.  But it creates a significant dog leg in getting around Phoenix without traffic, by taking one straight south to Gila Bend, and then east on deserted Interstate 8 to Casa Grande.   

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: DJStephens on November 04, 2016, 05:44:02 PM
AZ 85 exists (and is posted as) a Phoenix bypass.  Much of state road 85 (between I-8 and I-10) has been double barreled.  But it creates a significant dog leg in getting around Phoenix without traffic, by taking one straight south to Gila Bend, and then east on deserted Interstate 8 to Casa Grande.

I'd say that CA 86 and 111 work much more functional bypass if you're heading to or from Los Angeles and don't want to go through Phoenix.  There never really seemed to be a big enough of a traffic problem really to deter anyone but truckers to use AZ85 for that purpose.

Pink Jazz

More good news for the South Mountain Freeway:
http://www.ahwatukee.com/feeds/az_community_politics/article_73e8d91a-a540-11e6-bfee-ef6a39c7779d.html

The Lakewood HOA board is withdrawing as a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the South Mountain Freeway.  Even though 70% of residents oppose the freeway's current path, 56% of residents want the HOA to stop contributing to PARC in the fight against the freeway.

Zonie

The Ninth Circuit just denied PARC's motion for injunction pending appeal.

SMF construction will continue through the appeals process.

http://www.ahwatukee.com/columns/safe_driving/article_d1b80684-b048-11e6-bddc-23c508006511.html

Sonic99

When I was in Phoenix last week I noticed some equipment on the north side of I-10 east of 59th Ave. Nothing big they're doing yet. Plus all the businesses on the south side of I-10 appear to still be open. Those will need to be demolished for freeway construction at some point.
If you used to draw freeways on your homework and got reprimanded by your Senior English teacher for doing so, you might be a road geek!

coatimundi

I've been looking at the design docs this morning, and I think there are some interesting points about how this freeway will be designed.
Number one, I assume as a punishment to the tribe, there will be no easy way to reach the Vee Quiva Casino in spite of the roadway running basically next to it. The closest interchange, at Estrella Road, will be a double roundabout style, which seems to indicate that there's an expectation of growth in that area.
There also seems to be quite a bit of destruction necessary closer to the northern end: the truck stop, a newer industrial building, and even a couple of apartment complexes. It seems to somewhat trivialize the 73 homes in Ahwatukee.
I also find it interesting that they're passing the service roads over the railroad tracks along with the mainlanes. And because of that overcrossing of the tracks, I could see the southbound entrance ramp from Van Buren being a big problem for trucks, which I'm sure there will be quite a few of since that's the first on-ramp.

kdk

Quote from: coatimundi on November 22, 2016, 01:32:36 PM
I've been looking at the design docs this morning, and I think there are some interesting points about how this freeway will be designed.
Number one, I assume as a punishment to the tribe, there will be no easy way to reach the Vee Quiva Casino in spite of the roadway running basically next to it. The closest interchange, at Estrella Road, will be a double roundabout style, which seems to indicate that there's an expectation of growth in that area.
There also seems to be quite a bit of destruction necessary closer to the northern end: the truck stop, a newer industrial building, and even a couple of apartment complexes. It seems to somewhat trivialize the 73 homes in Ahwatukee.
I also find it interesting that they're passing the service roads over the railroad tracks along with the mainlanes. And because of that overcrossing of the tracks, I could see the southbound entrance ramp from Van Buren being a big problem for trucks, which I'm sure there will be quite a few of since that's the first on-ramp.

I noticed that too even though when they built the new Vee Quiva casino to replace the old one in 2013 it was designed to maximize visibility to the future freeway.  I recall when the new interchange at I-10 and Wild Horse Pass Blvd was redone before their new casino was built over there it included a design that included a right lane that goes directly into the casino without having to stop, but I believe the tribe paid for that. 

I did though notice the change to 51st Ave on these plans from the previous ones that were out about 60 days ago that had 51st Ave bending into Estrella Drive to reach the interchange.  If you wanted to continue south on 51st Ave you would have to turn left at the bend, would have been more confusing I believe to the average driver.

Sonic99

Actually that change to 51st Ave/Estrella was like that in the September release. It was the "fly through" video they released a year ago that had that bend in 51st Ave to a new road alignment (not Estrella Rd). They actually changed a lot from that original video to the more detailed plans they released in September, I remember commenting on it in the other thread about the SMF.
If you used to draw freeways on your homework and got reprimanded by your Senior English teacher for doing so, you might be a road geek!

coatimundi

Maybe the plan is to do something with that bridge to no where on Ivanhoe. Maybe lay down the pipe and let the tribe pay for the connection. It's certainly in their interests to get something hooked up. Not just for the casino but for the potential retail development. They have to make a ton of money off all the stuff by Wild Horse Pass Road.

AZDude

Looks like there is some excavating going on at I-10 between 59th and 51st.

coatimundi

Has there been a mention of timeline in terms of segments? I would imagine they would need to start the interchange and the section that cuts right through South Mountain first.

I was looking at StreetView on West Dusty Road by Vee Quira Casino, and the homes that are in the path of the freeway appear to be abandoned. So I guess they've already been bought out by ADOT?

coatimundi

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 29, 2016, 01:55:57 PM
BUT given all the improvements to AZ 85 along I-8 I'd take that route as a Phoenix bypass any day of the week over a 202 extension or even possibly I-11 if it cuts to Casa Grande.  I guess that I'm a sucker for less suburban traffic in my bypass routes.

Agreed. I don't think the South Mountain Freeway (hey, look at that, back on topic!) is going to suck that much truck traffic off of 85, simply because they cut it in too far into Phoenix. If they had been able to push it out by the 101, then I think you'd see more use from thru traffic. As it stands, it's just going to be another Phoenix suburb-connector, providing an alternative for those who want to live in Chandler but work in Glendale, or vice versa (because you can't live near where you work in Phoenix; that's ridiculous!).

I wonder sometimes if its placement goes back to what I've always perceived was a Phoenix bias: people look at the West Valley, especially the Avenues part of Phoenix, as a nothing zone. They don't ever seem to really think of it, except as a place to avoid. On the depressed I-10 through there, you don't see anything, and so I think there's the impression that no one lives out there. But there's a ton of population, and that's why I-10 is backed up well past 59th in the mornings: not because of the Estrella Mountain people, but because of the people from around Maryvale merging in.
Just a thought.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: coatimundi on November 29, 2016, 02:17:12 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 29, 2016, 01:55:57 PM
BUT given all the improvements to AZ 85 along I-8 I'd take that route as a Phoenix bypass any day of the week over a 202 extension or even possibly I-11 if it cuts to Casa Grande.  I guess that I'm a sucker for less suburban traffic in my bypass routes.

Agreed. I don't think the South Mountain Freeway (hey, look at that, back on topic!) is going to suck that much truck traffic off of 85, simply because they cut it in too far into Phoenix. If they had been able to push it out by the 101, then I think you'd see more use from thru traffic. As it stands, it's just going to be another Phoenix suburb-connector, providing an alternative for those who want to live in Chandler but work in Glendale, or vice versa (because you can't live near where you work in Phoenix; that's ridiculous!).

I wonder sometimes if its placement goes back to what I've always perceived was a Phoenix bias: people look at the West Valley, especially the Avenues part of Phoenix, as a nothing zone. They don't ever seem to really think of it, except as a place to avoid. On the depressed I-10 through there, you don't see anything, and so I think there's the impression that no one lives out there. But there's a ton of population, and that's why I-10 is backed up well past 59th in the mornings: not because of the Estrella Mountain people, but because of the people from around Maryvale merging in.
Just a thought.

You know, that's a big part of the reason I left Phoenix in the first place.  It's basically damn near impossible to find reasonably affordable housing close to places of work, especially around Scottsdale.  Basically everything used to be pretty reasonable until the first housing boom where everyone got greedy and flipped homes to drive up the prices.  Basically a lot of what made the area appealing over Southern California is largely gone now from a cost of living stand point. 

There has always been a huge bias against the West Valley.  Basically the neighborhoods are older and were already built up.  I'm actually kind of amazed the Loop 303 really got finished but was largely due to the projected growth around Lake Pleasant and North Phoenix...at least that's my take on it.  At least some of the new growth is being pushed into the West Valley now simply due to the east being almost completely built up to the reservations and Pinal County. 

Trying to use the 202 as a bypass would probably just yield getting stuck in traffic jams along I-10.  You're probably right on the money with that corridor becoming more viable when the 303 gets built south of I-10 along with a potential AZ 30....let alone I-11.  I'd still take that quiet cruise down 85 at 70 MPH and stop in Gila Bend for a soda...who actually enjoyed fighting commuters on a suburban freeway anyways? 

kdk

Quote from: AZDude on November 24, 2016, 09:50:12 PM
Looks like there is some excavating going on at I-10 between 59th and 51st.

I was just through there yesterday and it looks like they are expanding the excavation area quite a bit- had some lane closures to put up more barriers, and a lot more digging particularly on the north side of I-10.

hm insulators

I was noticing it myself the other day when I was driving along that stretch of I-10.
Remember: If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

I'd rather be a child of the road than a son of a ditch.


At what age do you tell a highway that it's been adopted?

Sonic99

Construction on the temporary portion of Pecos Road will begin next Monday, January 16th.

http://azdot.gov/media/News/news-release/2017/01/10/pecos-road-reconfiguration-will-keep-traffic-moving-during-south-mountain-freeway-work

An excerpt...

QuoteAs part of the process to complete the interim roadway configuration by March, when freeway construction is scheduled to begin in the Pecos Segment, those using Pecos Road should prepare for the following:

Closing shoulders and bike lanes
Relocating street lights and installing temporary traffic signals
Closing the Pecos Road entrance to the 40th Street/Pecos Road Park-and-Ride (access will be maintained from 40th Street)
Paving the existing median
Widening the south side of the eastbound lanes
During construction of the interim roadway, Pecos Road may be narrowed to one lane in each direction on weekdays, and several weekend closures will be necessary to relocate utilities, install temporary traffic signals, restripe the roadway and place barricades.

The speed limit on the interim roadway will be reduced to 40 mph to accommodate two-way traffic, and there will be no shoulders. Lane restrictions and periodic closures of Pecos Road will be necessary at times during freeway construction.

Once freeway construction is complete in the Pecos Segment, traffic using the interim road will be moved to freeway lanes in the final stages of construction. The South Mountain Freeway will open to through traffic when work is complete on all segments in late 2019.

I had wondered previously how they were going to maintain four lanes of traffic during construction when the current road is four lanes wide with a median in the middle. Sounds like they're paving over the median and adding some asphalt on the EB shoulder to maintain four lanes, while they start ripping up the asphalt on the WB side and start construction of the WB freeway lanes.
If you used to draw freeways on your homework and got reprimanded by your Senior English teacher for doing so, you might be a road geek!

Henry

Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

Zonie


compdude787

Good!!  :thumbsup: I'm glad they're allowing this project to move forward. It is sorely needed for the Phoenix area.

Sonic99

WB I-10 will be closed this weekend for more prep work for the interchange. Sounds like the ball is starting to get rolling.

Just curious, anyone down in the Valley able to grab any pictures? Perhaps of the Pecos construction, or what's happening over along 59th Ave?
If you used to draw freeways on your homework and got reprimanded by your Senior English teacher for doing so, you might be a road geek!

Exit58

Quote from: Sonic99 on February 11, 2017, 02:28:36 AM
WB I-10 will be closed this weekend for more prep work for the interchange. Sounds like the ball is starting to get rolling.

Just curious, anyone down in the Valley able to grab any pictures? Perhaps of the Pecos construction, or what's happening over along 59th Ave?

I'll see if I can get some pics this weekend. Last I was there (about a week ago) there was a lot of excavating on the north side of the street and the WB shoulder was closed, as well as the dedicated turn lane for 40th St NB.

Plutonic Panda

I would appreciate some picture as well. I will likely make a drive up there in the next to check out the freeways and roads around the Phoenix area. I have never been.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.