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Phoenix Area Highways

Started by swbrotha100, February 22, 2015, 07:18:10 PM

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RaulMtz

I feel like US-60 signed to Globe is ok as a general direction. If anything, maybe Loop 202 at the Mini Stack should sign "Scottsdale - Mesa" and then just "Mesa" at the intersection with Loop 101 near Tempe Marketplace.


The Ghostbuster

Since Globe is where US 60 meets US 70, that is where guide signs from Phoenix eastward along 60 east should be signed as.

jdbx

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 13, 2024, 07:57:58 AMMake it Miami.  Have something that points them in the direction of the Burger House and highly underrated Superior-Miami Highway. 

I remember way back in 1993-1994ish when I was living in Scottsdale that the exit from I-10 for US-60 East *did* have Globe - Miami as the control cities.

That was a *great* era to live in the Phoenix area as a road geek.  Lots of construction underway, I remember driving through the Dreamy Draw on the 51 the day after it opened, with the freeway dumping out onto 32nd Street.  A few months later, it opened as far as Shea.  Loop 101 was just an isolated stretch of the Price Freeway and another small stretch of the Aqua Fria.  The 202 was just a short connector between I-10 and 143.  Lots and lots of old CA-style button copy signs and gantries on I-17 and US-60.  All of it is completely unrecognizable today.


Max Rockatansky

Quote from: jdbx on August 13, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 13, 2024, 07:57:58 AMMake it Miami.  Have something that points them in the direction of the Burger House and highly underrated Superior-Miami Highway. 

I remember way back in 1993-1994ish when I was living in Scottsdale that the exit from I-10 for US-60 East *did* have Globe - Miami as the control cities.

That was a *great* era to live in the Phoenix area as a road geek.  Lots of construction underway, I remember driving through the Dreamy Draw on the 51 the day after it opened, with the freeway dumping out onto 32nd Street.  A few months later, it opened as far as Shea.  Loop 101 was just an isolated stretch of the Price Freeway and another small stretch of the Aqua Fria.  The 202 was just a short connector between I-10 and 143.  Lots and lots of old CA-style button copy signs and gantries on I-17 and US-60.  All of it is completely unrecognizable today.



Even in 2001 much of the same was still present.  I found the city/metro area to be a lot more interesting back then.  I just wish that I thought to take pictures of the AZ 153 signage before it was pulled from the field.

jdbx

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 13, 2024, 02:28:50 PM
Quote from: jdbx on August 13, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 13, 2024, 07:57:58 AMMake it Miami.  Have something that points them in the direction of the Burger House and highly underrated Superior-Miami Highway. 

I remember way back in 1993-1994ish when I was living in Scottsdale that the exit from I-10 for US-60 East *did* have Globe - Miami as the control cities.

That was a *great* era to live in the Phoenix area as a road geek.  Lots of construction underway, I remember driving through the Dreamy Draw on the 51 the day after it opened, with the freeway dumping out onto 32nd Street.  A few months later, it opened as far as Shea.  Loop 101 was just an isolated stretch of the Price Freeway and another small stretch of the Aqua Fria.  The 202 was just a short connector between I-10 and 143.  Lots and lots of old CA-style button copy signs and gantries on I-17 and US-60.  All of it is completely unrecognizable today.


Even in 2001 much of the same was still present.  I found the city/metro area to be a lot more interesting back then.  I just wish that I thought to take pictures of the AZ 153 signage before it was pulled from the field.

I wish I had taken photos as well, it was all so incredibly interesting and different compared to today.  A lot of the interesting Arizona oddities are now long gone. I at least did manage to see a blue Loop 101 shield in Scottsdale when I was there.  Another thing I was marveling at when I was driving to/from the metro area:  back in those days, I-10 didn't even widen out to 6 lanes until Dysart Road, and that was still kind of on the edge of the desert at that point.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: jdbx on August 13, 2024, 03:00:44 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 13, 2024, 02:28:50 PM
Quote from: jdbx on August 13, 2024, 02:24:29 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on August 13, 2024, 07:57:58 AMMake it Miami.  Have something that points them in the direction of the Burger House and highly underrated Superior-Miami Highway. 

I remember way back in 1993-1994ish when I was living in Scottsdale that the exit from I-10 for US-60 East *did* have Globe - Miami as the control cities.

That was a *great* era to live in the Phoenix area as a road geek.  Lots of construction underway, I remember driving through the Dreamy Draw on the 51 the day after it opened, with the freeway dumping out onto 32nd Street.  A few months later, it opened as far as Shea.  Loop 101 was just an isolated stretch of the Price Freeway and another small stretch of the Aqua Fria.  The 202 was just a short connector between I-10 and 143.  Lots and lots of old CA-style button copy signs and gantries on I-17 and US-60.  All of it is completely unrecognizable today.


Even in 2001 much of the same was still present.  I found the city/metro area to be a lot more interesting back then.  I just wish that I thought to take pictures of the AZ 153 signage before it was pulled from the field.

I wish I had taken photos as well, it was all so incredibly interesting and different compared to today.  A lot of the interesting Arizona oddities are now long gone. I at least did manage to see a blue Loop 101 shield in Scottsdale when I was there.  Another thing I was marveling at when I was driving to/from the metro area:  back in those days, I-10 didn't even widen out to 6 lanes until Dysart Road, and that was still kind of on the edge of the desert at that point.

Managed to snag one of those blue 101 shields from an estate sale in New Jersey.

https://flic.kr/p/SxYQUW

Roadwarriors79

This should be a big weekend for the I-10 Broadway Curve project. The westbound lanes will be closed this weekend (8/16 to 8/19), and on Monday morning, the new collector-distributor road will be open to traffic.

https://i10broadwaycurve.com/alerts/

RaulMtz

Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 16, 2024, 10:31:44 AMThis should be a big weekend for the I-10 Broadway Curve project. The westbound lanes will be closed this weekend (8/16 to 8/19), and on Monday morning, the new collector-distributor road will be open to traffic.

https://i10broadwaycurve.com/alerts/

I am excited for this! I commute from the East Valley to the airport area so these CD lanes are going to be a game changer.

kernals12

Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 16, 2024, 10:31:44 AMThis should be a big weekend for the I-10 Broadway Curve project. The westbound lanes will be closed this weekend (8/16 to 8/19), and on Monday morning, the new collector-distributor road will be open to traffic.

https://i10broadwaycurve.com/alerts/
Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 16, 2024, 10:31:44 AMThis should be a big weekend for the I-10 Broadway Curve project. The westbound lanes will be closed this weekend (8/16 to 8/19), and on Monday morning, the new collector-distributor road will be open to traffic.

https://i10broadwaycurve.com/alerts/
Quote from: RaulMtz on August 16, 2024, 12:39:41 PM
Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 16, 2024, 10:31:44 AMThis should be a big weekend for the I-10 Broadway Curve project. The westbound lanes will be closed this weekend (8/16 to 8/19), and on Monday morning, the new collector-distributor road will be open to traffic.

https://i10broadwaycurve.com/alerts/

I am excited for this! I commute from the East Valley to the airport area so these CD lanes are going to be a game changer.
But the closure of I-10 is going to mean some big headaches over the weekend.

ztonyg

Quote from: jdbx on August 08, 2024, 06:34:17 PM
Quote from: RaulMtz on August 06, 2024, 06:25:13 PM
Quote from: KeithE4Phx on August 05, 2024, 02:52:27 AM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on August 04, 2024, 04:25:25 PMThere is nothing wrong with the existing state highway designations in the Phoenix area. Having multiple state highway designations on Loop 101, and especially Loop 202 would have been confusing.

As it is now, Loop 101 has two interchanges each with McDowell, Thomas, Indian School, Thunderbird, and Bell Rds.  One on each side of town.  The 202 has two each with McDowell, McKellips, Power, Higley, Val Vista, Gilbert, McClintock, and Rural Rds, plus 32nd St. One of those is McDowell and Gilbert together, but still...

If anything, I feel like the BGS need control cities at these interchanges. I had an issue with my parents who do not live here and are terrible at using GPS where I was trying to explain how to take AZ-202 to Gilbert coming from California on I-10. Mind you, this was back before the South Mountain Fwy section had opened, but it was under construction. I told them...

"Take the 202 eastbound but not the first time you see it. Take it the second time you see it. If you see the 202 right after you pass a tunnel, do not take that one. Wait some 10 more miles and you'll see it again."

Of course, it just so happened that right on that day they were making the drive, the construction crews had uncovered the first BGS that referenced AZ-202 for the South Mountain fwy section. So when my parents saw it, they thought that was the first 202 interchange. When they get to the Ministack, they got confused because it was the second time they saw the 202 but remembered I said not to take the one after the tunnel.

Thankfully, they made the right choice and waited until the "3rd time" they saw the 202 marked. But it goes to show how confusing it can be. In the very least, they should specify a control city for the loop freeways. Maybe EB AZ-202 shows Scottsdale at the Ministack, etc.

I just spent several days in The Valley moving my daughter in for another year of college, and that was a thought that struck me repeatedly as I was navigating around:  The complete lack of control cities on nearly all of the signage for any of the state freeway routes.  I-10 and I-17 all get the standard treatment, and even US-60 gets Mesa - Globe.   I'm aware that Arizona is generally a "big city" control city signer, the fact that they would mention Globe on the signs for US-60 suggests that there are exceptions.

I think it would at least be helpful to the traveling public to sign the communities served by the Loop x0x routes where they intersect with another freeway, especially Loop-202 which intersects I-10 three times.



As far as I know, the only control cities on the Loops are:

Scottsdale / Chandler for Loop 101 N/B and S/B (on 1 BGS on E/B Loop 202 Red Mountain)
Mesa for Loop 202 E/B (from AZ 143 N/B)

The problem with the Phoenix loops is there aren't really great control cities to use. Loop 101 is probably the only loop where there are okay cities to use in terms of: Avondale, Glendale, Scottsdale and Chandler.

Loop 202 could use Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and ???

Loop 303 could use Goodyear and ??? (Peoria, Anthem???, Carefree???)

KeithE4Phx

Quote from: ztonyg on August 16, 2024, 07:39:35 PMThe problem with the Phoenix loops is there aren't really great control cities to use. Loop 101 is probably the only loop where there are okay cities to use in terms of: Avondale, Glendale, Scottsdale and Chandler.

Loop 202 could use Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and ???
Red Mountain Fwy:  Tempe
Santan Fwy:  Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Tempe, Sun Lakes, Gila River Indian Community
South Mountain Fwy:  Gila River Indian Community, Laveen

QuoteLoop 303 could use Goodyear and ??? (Peoria, Anthem???, Carefree???)
Glendale, Surprise, Sun City West.
"Oh, so you hate your job? Well, why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called "EVERYBODY!" They meet at the bar." -- Drew Carey

Roadwarriors79

In Goodyear, a sign on Cotton Ln at Thomas Rd lists "Surprise" for Loop 303 NB. Going EB on Sky Harbor Blvd, at least one sign has "Tempe-Mesa" for Loop 202 EB. On the ramp to WB Loop 202 from Priest Dr in Tempe, it lists "SR 143 South - Tucson (Sky Harbor Airport)" and "Loop 202 West - Phoenix". Older signs on some crossroads had "Loop 202 West - Los Angeles" and "SR 143 South - Tucson". Some old signs near Loop 101 in the west valley had "Loop 101 North - Sun City." Most new signage has none of that, of course.

Sonic99

Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 16, 2024, 10:31:44 AMThis should be a big weekend for the I-10 Broadway Curve project. The westbound lanes will be closed this weekend (8/16 to 8/19), and on Monday morning, the new collector-distributor road will be open to traffic.

https://i10broadwaycurve.com/alerts/

I'll be honest, when I drove by last week I thought they weren't close. Still had scaffolding and falsework on the Southern Ave overpass and multiple "openings" in the wall separating the C/D roads from the mainline. Now I see looking at the ADOT cameras that they have installed a temporary barrier on the left side so protect those areas. So it won't be "fully" complete, but it will be sufficient to get them opened. I'll likely try to get over there tomorrow and see if I can get some footage and pictures from my dash cam.
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!

RaulMtz

On my commute this morning, the new CD lanes were open but traffic was really bad on the mainline WB I-10 through the Broadway curve which backed up quite a bit. Once you get to the CD lanes, traffic was super smooth, but the approach was really bad.

Hopefully it improves as drivers get more accustomed to the new configuration. Most folks in my office commuting from the East Valley were late today and some I've heard missed the CD lane exit and had to go through the mainline.

Roadwarriors79

Quote from: RaulMtz on August 19, 2024, 11:52:13 AMOn my commute this morning, the new CD lanes were open but traffic was really bad on the mainline WB I-10 through the Broadway curve which backed up quite a bit. Once you get to the CD lanes, traffic was super smooth, but the approach was really bad.

Hopefully it improves as drivers get more accustomed to the new configuration. Most folks in my office commuting from the East Valley were late today and some I've heard missed the CD lane exit and had to go through the mainline.

Just drove in the area a little while ago. For now, there's a heavy merge on the mainline because multiple lanes drop WB between the I-10/US 60 interchange and 40th St. It might actually be better to use the C/D road to bypass that traffic for awhile.

blanketcomputer

Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 19, 2024, 03:50:50 PMJust drove in the area a little while ago. For now, there's a heavy merge on the mainline because multiple lanes drop WB between the I-10/US 60 interchange and 40th St. It might actually be better to use the C/D road to bypass that traffic for awhile.

Definitely better to use to CD road right now. Mainline I-10 and US 60 merge and compress to 2 lanes plus the HOV in a very short distance. There's tiny "I-10 West All Lanes" text atop the signage at the I-10 West CD exit to encourage through traffic to also use the CD.

Sonic99

Went through there yesterday and used my 4k dashcam to get some video and make a ride-along video. Never done any videos like this, but figured this might be fun to do! And yeah, I noticed the heavy traffic on the main section as well. Definitely not optimal. Of course I already saw a news story from Channel 3 complaining "but ADOT said this would make it better, look, there's traffic!" so that's frustrating.

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!

Roadwarriors79

Earlier today I saw 2 portable message boards telling heavy WB I-10 traffic to use the C/D road to bypass it. May need a longer than expected adjustment period.

Sonic99

Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 21, 2024, 04:41:59 PMEarlier today I saw 2 portable message boards telling heavy WB I-10 traffic to use the C/D road to bypass it. May need a longer than expected adjustment period.

Apparently from what I've read is there's a huge lane crunch on the mainline part of I-10 for some reason right now that's causing most of the problems. I guess the 60 and 10 all crush down to 3 total lanes including the HOV. Not really sure why ADOT needs it so choked down but that's definitely hurting the flow BIG time.
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!

Roadwarriors79

Maybe things will get better. Maybe not. ASU is starting fall semester this week, so I expect heavier traffic all around Tempe.

I drove on the WB I-10 mainline last night. As of now, 4 lanes + 1 HOV lane passes the US 60 East exit. A lane drop happens almost immediately (future exit lane for SR 143 and the C/D road). Another lane drop right before the WB US 60 lanes merge into the mainline WB. (BTW there are now only 2 lanes of WB 60 to WB 10 mainline.) A lane drop immediately after the merge. Around where the freeway starts curving west, another lane drop. The HOV ramp from WB 60 to WB 10 directly merges into the HOV lane. Also ahead, the WB Broadway entrance ramp merges. The C/D road merges with the mainline at 40th St. Beyond this point it's 4 lanes + 1 HOV WB.

Roadwarriors79

ADOT is planning a weekend closure of SB SR 143 (8/23 to 8/26). On Monday morning, they expect to open the new flyover ramp from SB 143 to EB 10/60.

Sonic99

Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 22, 2024, 04:12:57 PMADOT is planning a weekend closure of SB SR 143 (8/23 to 8/26). On Monday morning, they expect to open the new flyover ramp from SB 143 to EB 10/60.

We're definitely in the home stretch on this project, just gotta get through these last few adjustments. Still bits and pieces through the whole project that need buttoning up. Really hope they can hurry up and get things situated around the curve and get some of these extra lanes opened up.
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!

kernals12

Quote from: Sonic99 on August 25, 2024, 08:12:33 AM
Quote from: Roadwarriors79 on August 22, 2024, 04:12:57 PMADOT is planning a weekend closure of SB SR 143 (8/23 to 8/26). On Monday morning, they expect to open the new flyover ramp from SB 143 to EB 10/60.

We're definitely in the home stretch on this project, just gotta get through these last few adjustments. Still bits and pieces through the whole project that need buttoning up. Really hope they can hurry up and get things situated around the curve and get some of these extra lanes opened up.
The good thing is that Loop 202; South Mountain Freeway for those headed for the West Valley and Red Mountain for those going to the airport provides a very convenient alternative. Imagine if they were doing this kind of construction work on the Papago Freeway.

Max Rockatansky

#923
AZ 202 has the benefit of being able to get directly onto old AZ 153 (44th Street).  I-10 requires you ladder around even without a ongoing project. 

Roadwarriors79

The new flyover ramp from SB 143 to EB I-10 is now open. Also, ADOT is targeting November to open the EB C/D road.



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