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[Max Rockatansky]

Put something together for the history of former AZ 153 (AKA the Sky Harbor Expressway):

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/05/former-arizona-state-route-153.html

[74/171FAN]

I felt after reading this that AZ 143 being right to the east of this made AZ 153 a bit goofy to be a freeway.

[Sonic99]

I felt after reading this that AZ 143 being right to the east of this made AZ 153 a bit goofy to be a freeway.

Yeah it was definitely a pretty redundant highway. Seems like they wanted one to be dedicated to the airport as a direct connection from I-10 and for some reason keep 143 as a 10/202 connector (was the 143 ever proposed to go north of McDowell? The ROW at the intersection is tight but seems like it's wider than needed for the simple intersection that's there now). I also wonder if the "abandoned" 153 will ever be condensed down to eliminate the excess ROW at University along with the Salt River Bridge that's more than twice as wide as necessary. In reality, I can't help but wonder if the entire road south of Sky Harbor Blvd. is just pointless and could be demolished. I can't imagine the traffic counts come even close to justifying the maintenance costs on an 8 lane bridge over the river. And as I'm looking at the road layout on Google Maps, the entire eastern end of the airport is a bit of a mess because there's still signs of the originally proposed idea of the 143 and 153. Can't help but wonder if Sky Harbor will ever go through a top-to-bottom redesign and reengineering of that end of the property and streamline everything.

[Zonie]

Up to the early 90s, there was a plan to extend SR 143 along about 48th St to at least Thomas Road. 

https://kjzz.org/content/1679173/phoenix-50-years-ago-look-back

In that graphic, it seems like SR 153 would have gone from I-10/40th St and hooked into the Loop 202 spur.  Realigning SR 143 to its current configuration really made that redundant.

[The Ghostbuster]

I think former AZ 153 shouldn’t have been built, at least as a freeway. If anything, it should have been constructed as a signaled boulevard with at-grade intersections.

[Sonic99]

I think former AZ 153 shouldn’t have been built, at least as a freeway. If anything, it should have been constructed as a signaled boulevard with at-grade intersections.

Yeah in hindsight it was a complete waste of resources. I can’t help but wonder if the people who pushed so hard for it were somehow in it for personal gain with contacts or real estate. I wonder about the influence of Sky Harbor too and how much they dictated to ADOT that this has to be built.