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Phoenix Area Highways

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

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ztonyg

I was actually impressed that ADOT installed 7 new Skyline VMSs around the I-10 / L-202 interchange in relatively short order.

I counted 2 E/B on I-10 (one N of L-202 and one N of Queen Creek Rd) and 2 W/B on I-10 (1 N of Queen Creek Rd and  1 N of Wild Pass Blvd).

There are also 2 E/B on Loop 202 (one W of Kyrene Rd and one W of McClintock Dr) and 1 W/B on Loop 202 East of Kyrene Rd.

In addition, this weekend they will be installing another one on N/B I-17 at Pinnacle Peak Rd (directly S of the Daktronics sign for S/B I-17). 


Pink Jazz

I was reading some information of Phoenix area highways, and it appears that back in 2003 there was a proposal to extend the Loop 101 Price Freeway south of its current terminus at the Loop 202 SanTan Freeway all the way to I-10.

I wonder, what became of those plans? I assume it is now unlikely it will ever become a reality, as ever since the Price Corridor has been built up as a major employment center, and building a freeway through would require all these companies to relocate, which could adversely impact the Chandler economy. Plus, considering how the Gila River Indian Reservation voted down to have the South Mountain Freeway built on their land, I don't see how they would approve an extension of the Price Freeway to I-10.

Zonie

I think that was a feasibility study put together by an engineering firm.

http://www.azmag.gov/Documents/pdf/cms.resource/WP8-findings-rec.pdf

For six miles of freeway, the 2003 estimated cost was $390 million, which would have been north of $500 million if construction started now.  With that much cost, and not much benefit, I can see why some other southeast valley projects would have been prioritized.

Pink Jazz

Yesterday I noticed the Skyline full-matrix DMS on the Loop 202 SanTan Freeway displaying the I-10 shooter tip line.  I wonder when will we start seeing travel times on these signs.

Also, have any new ones been installed on the Red Mountain Freeway east of Country Club?  Last time I heard the gantries have been installed, but I don't know if the signs themselves have been installed yet.

blanketcomputer

Quote from: Pink Jazz on September 15, 2015, 02:34:27 PM
Also, have any new ones been installed on the Red Mountain Freeway east of Country Club?  Last time I heard the gantries have been installed, but I don't know if the signs themselves have been installed yet.

I believe that as of today all of the new full matrix DMS have been installed in both directions along the entire HOV lane project area east of Gilbert Rd. Eastbound/southbound has a sign just before Greenfield, another just after Recker, one just south McKellips, and just south of Main St. Northbound/westbound has signs just south of McKellips, between Recker and Higley, and just west of Val Vista.

If I had to guess what destinations the new DMS signs will show, I think it will largely be the same destinations as DMS along US 60, but the southbound portion of Loop 202 will complicate that. I'm guessing southbound sign near Main St will show times for US 60 at Gilbert Rd and either SR 24 or Power Rd. DMSs along US 60 might be changed to show travel times to a cross street of Loop 202.

Pink Jazz

#30
BTW, I wonder what is the real reason for ADOT switching to full matrix DMS if they are not currently being used to their full potential.  As far as I know, all of ADOT's DMS are programmed with the same software, and thus they are programmed in a fixed character style monospaced font (although some rows get shifted slightly with some messages on the full matrix signs).  Many of the older SYLVIA fixed character fiber optic signs have been refurbished with LEDs, and the Daktronics fixed character LED signs are still fairly new, with the most recent ones being installed in late 2013/early 2014.  Except for the SYLVIA signs that have not been rehabilitated, I don't see the fixed character signs being replaced anytime soon.

Perhaps it could be due to declining manufacturer support for fixed character signs, thus ADOT wanted their RFP to be open to more bidders.  According to Skyline's website, they don't appear to produce fixed character signs anymore.  In the last RFP, ADOT received bids from Skyline, Daktronics, and Digital Traffic Systems, Inc., although DTS' bid was deemed non-responsive.  For comparison, Daktronics' bid was more than double the price of Skyline's bid, although not sure who scored higher on specification.

Note that ADOT's contract with Skyline expires in January, however, the contract I think includes an option for an extension until October 2017.  Note ADOT's contract with Skyline was signed in 2012, with an extension option exercised in 2014.  If ADOT decides to send out another RFP, I wonder what manufacturers will bid.  Perhaps we could see a bid from Adaptive Displays, who currently holds NMDOT's contract (they switched from Skyline I think in the early 2010s).

Sonic99

I happened to be down in the Valley over the weekend and made a couple observations.

First, how nice it is to have the 303 out there in the West Valley and have it connect up to I-17 and come all the way down. The segment between Happy Valley and Bell is looking good, there's what, maybe a year left on that project? That will be an absolute dream once the 303 is all-freeway out there. At what point is the "proper" interchange with I-17 coming? The current temporary one seems sufficient at this time, honestly, but I know they built all that to be ready for the proper interchange in a few years.

Also, I got to drive the Northern Parkway for the first time (I had honestly forgotten about it until my GPS showed me that route to get from Surprise to Cabela's). Man, just the combo of the 303 and the Northern Parkway is going to be very welcome for everyone out there in Surprise to get into Phoenix proper to events and other places. Instead of taking Bell or Grand to get out of Surprise, that Northern Parkway makes things a LOT easier to get down around the Cardinals Stadium, Westgate, and continue further south. Question on that one too, though, it currently ends at Dysart. I looked on the webside and it said the Agua Fria bridge would be done in FY2015, but the website appears to not have been updated in quite some time. What is the status on that, and is there any further info (drawings, etc) on how that will interact with the 101? Having Northern Parkway as limited-access between the 101 and 303 should take a lot of load off of Bell and especially Grand for people heading out to the Northwest Valley. Definitely looking forward to seeing how that all plays out.

Bottom line, getting around in the West Valley is looking like it will be much easier within the next 5 years with the 303 and Northern Parkway additions. Just gotta get through the mess that will be the Bell Rd/Grand Ave reconstruction (seriously, that's going to be a clusterf*** of epic proportions while that is under construction).
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!

blanketcomputer

I believe most or all of the work on Loop 303 between Happy Valley Pkwy and Bell Road will be complete by summer 2016. The Loop 303/I-17 interchange is not going to be constructed anytime soon. The interchange will likely be grouped with a project upgrading the interim roadway between Happy Valley Pkwy and I-17. The interim road is more than sufficient for the foreseeable future. MAG does not have the interchange programmed into the regional freeway program project schedule at all, meaning it will probably be at least 2026 before the interchange is constructed and will probably rely on another 20 years extension of the Prop 400 half-cent sales tax. All of the Loop 303 excitement for the next ten years will be focused on construction south of I-10.

As for Northern Parkway, I agree it's a very nice road in a very good corridor. MCDOT's website is rarely updated and the project timeline shown on their website has been wrong for years. I'm not sure there is any definitive answer about when the El Mirage or Agua Fria River bridges will be built, just that the project is supposed to be complete in total by 2025. East of El Mirage Rd, Northern Pkwy will be an at-grade "Arizona Parkway" with left turns performed by completing a U-turn and a right turn. The interchange will Loop 101 will likely be at-grade also.

The trumpet interchange between Northern Pkwy and Loop 303 is interim. The final configuration includes flyovers connecting Loop 303 to Northern Pkwy and frontage roads connecting Northern Ave, Northern Pkwy, and Olive Ave. The Northern Ave interchange with Loop 303 was constructed to accommodate this future frontage road.

N9JIG

As a new resident to the far northwest Valley (15 miles west of Surprise), I have come to appreciate the freeway system in the area. We do however need something better for E-W traffic in the NW area. L303's E-W leg is too far north and  I-10 is too far south. Other than the little segment of the Northern Parkway there is no viable E-W freeway.

I know it is difficult to impossible to build one now, but it certainly would have been great if there was one between Bell Road and Glendale Av. between L303 and I-17. I think one of the plans when the Loops were designed had Grand Ave. being upgraded but obviously that never happened.
Illinois Highways Page                                                          http://www.n9jig.com

Sonic99

The Paradise freeway was supposed to go across the middle of town along Camelback Road from the 101 in the west valley over to the 51. An extension west of there to the 303 would have made the Northern Parkway unnecessary.  Grand being a freeway would have helped, too.
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!

blanketcomputer

Does anyone know about the naming of Loop 303? It was planned as the Estrella Freeway, but was changed to Bob Stump Memorial Parkway in 2004. It's marked Bob Stump Memorial Parkway on Google Maps, but I don't recall any current physical signs naming it. The only nameplate with Bob Stump Memorial Parkway was an old white-on-black sign removed after Loop 303 was upgraded to a freeway. ADOT has advertised TRAC H857701C to complete the southern portion of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange south to Van Buren. The TRAC lists the name as the Estrella Freeway.

I would rather the freeway be named the Estrella Freeway, keeping in line with the common Phoenix area theme of naming after nearby mountains like Red Mountain, South Mountain, Santan, etc.

Pink Jazz

Quote from: blanketcomputer on October 03, 2015, 01:57:35 PM
Does anyone know about the naming of Loop 303? It was planned as the Estrella Freeway, but was changed to Bob Stump Memorial Parkway in 2004. It's marked Bob Stump Memorial Parkway on Google Maps, but I don't recall any current physical signs naming it. The only nameplate with Bob Stump Memorial Parkway was an old white-on-black sign removed after Loop 303 was upgraded to a freeway. ADOT has advertised TRAC H857701C to complete the southern portion of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange south to Van Buren. The TRAC lists the name as the Estrella Freeway.

I would rather the freeway be named the Estrella Freeway, keeping in line with the common Phoenix area theme of naming after nearby mountains like Red Mountain, South Mountain, Santan, etc.

Interesting that ADOT would remove the nameplate from that sign; on the Loop 101 Price Freeway northbound, on a sign just after the Baseline exit, a new black-on-white Loop 101 shield and "North" cardinal direction plate were installed in the past year, but the existing white-on-blue "Price Freeway" plate was retained.  Interestingly, this is only one of two signs that have "Price Freeway" plates, the other being a white-on-green plate near Chandler Boulevard, also in the northbound direction.

swbrotha100

Quote from: blanketcomputer on October 03, 2015, 01:57:35 PM
Does anyone know about the naming of Loop 303? It was planned as the Estrella Freeway, but was changed to Bob Stump Memorial Parkway in 2004. It's marked Bob Stump Memorial Parkway on Google Maps, but I don't recall any current physical signs naming it. The only nameplate with Bob Stump Memorial Parkway was an old white-on-black sign removed after Loop 303 was upgraded to a freeway. ADOT has advertised TRAC H857701C to complete the southern portion of the I-10/Loop 303 interchange south to Van Buren. The TRAC lists the name as the Estrella Freeway.

I would rather the freeway be named the Estrella Freeway, keeping in line with the common Phoenix area theme of naming after nearby mountains like Red Mountain, South Mountain, Santan, etc.

I remember some "Bob Stump Memorial Parkway" signs in areas where Loop 303 was not yet a freeway. The current and future freeway sections just have "Loop 303" signs.

Pink Jazz

Looks like ADOT has just exercised one of its contract extension options with Skyline Products to July 24, 2016 with another DMS order.  I presume this order may be for the DMS that will be installed on the Loop 202 SanTan Freeway from Dobson Road to Ray Road.  ADOT still has a few more extension options up to October 24, 2017.

blanketcomputer

ADOT opened the west-half interchange of US 60 and Meridian Road (Exit 194) a few days ago. I drove by to check it out and noticed the the on-ramp is signed with two advisory "Exit - 20 MPH" signs, even though it's a loop on ramp.

Pink Jazz

According to ADOT's ITS map, the new DMS on the Loop 202 SanTan Freeway between I-10 and Loop 101 are now fully operational.  However, I wonder when we will start seeing the travel times on these signs.  Here are my guesses for the destinations:


  • Westbound - I-10/US 60 and I-10/SR 143
  • Eastbound - Either L-202 ALMA SCHL and L-101 ELLIOT RD, or ALMA SCHOOL RD and VAL VISTA DR.

Pink Jazz

I got an update about the ramp meters on the Loop 202, and I got confirmation that there are presently no plans to install ramp meters on the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway east of Gilbert Road.  A ramp meter warrant analysis has determined that they are not currently needed on that segment.

For the SanTan Freeway, a ramp meter warrant analysis is underway.  I can see them being installed at Arizona Avenue, Gilbert Road, and Val Vista Drive.

Pink Jazz

I recently went to the Renaissance Festival at Gold Canyon today, and I was recently wondering, I know there is a proposed realignment of the Superstition Freeway to bypass Gold Canyon.  I wonder, if the bypass is built, would the old route become US 60 Business?  Or perhaps US 60 can remain on the old route and the new route becomes US 60 By-Pass.

707

Quote from: Pink Jazz on February 20, 2016, 11:20:23 PM
I recently went to the Renaissance Festival at Gold Canyon today, and I was recently wondering, I know there is a proposed realignment of the Superstition Freeway to bypass Gold Canyon.  I wonder, if the bypass is built, would the old route become US 60 Business?  Or perhaps US 60 can remain on the old route and the new route becomes US 60 By-Pass.

Given Arizona, the new route will be US 60 and the old one will likely be handed over to Pinal County.

Pink Jazz

Quote from: 707 on February 22, 2016, 11:10:20 PM

Given Arizona, the new route will be US 60 and the old one will likely be handed over to Pinal County.

I guess this is the case, however, note that ADOT does have the unsigned US 60X, which are two discontinuous segments of the original US 60.  The western segment follows Grand Avenue from Thomas Road to 18th Avenue in Phoenix, while the eastern segment is mostly within a county island surrounded by Mesa and follows Main Street/Apache Trail from Sossaman to Meridian (the Apache Junction/Pinal County line).

The Ghostbuster

Are there any plans to add toll lanes to Phoenix's freeway system?

Pink Jazz

#46
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on February 23, 2016, 05:01:42 PM
Are there any plans to add toll lanes to Phoenix's freeway system?

It has been proposed, but no official plans currently.

BTW, ADOT has put up a bid advertisement for FMS Phase 14B (Loop 202 SanTan Freeway from Dobson Road to Ray Road in Chandler and Gilbert).  This will include new dynamic message signs, CCTV cameras, loop detectors, and ramp meters (at select interchanges). 

I wonder if the DMS for this project will be from ADOT's existing contract with Skyline Products, or will they be from ADOT's next contract.  ADOT's contract with Skyline expires in July, however, ADOT does have options to extend the contract up to October 2017.  So far no RFP has been issued for a new DMS contract.  ADOT most recently exercised its latest contract extension with Skyline in October 2015, extending the end of the contract from January 2016 to July 2016.

swbrotha100

Some updates to what's going on around the valley:

Loop 202: The South Mountain Freeway segment isn't getting that much attention yet. Demolition of residential and commercial properties can be seen in the neighborhoods near Pecos Rd, and also 59th Ave near I-10 and the land near I-10 between 51st Ave and 67th Ave. As of now most of the commercial properties that are closed have been fenced off. The rest is still ongoing. The only road work to happen soon is a City of Phoenix project to extend Chandler Blvd between 19th Ave and 27th Ave.

Loop 101: Widening in the Scottsdale area will add at least 1 extra lane between Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) and Shea Blvd. As of today, the extra lane is open SB from Thomas Rd to the 202, and NB should be at least paved in the next couple weeks to Thomas.

Loop 303: New ramps are open to connect Loop 303 to Grand Ave (US 60). Would not be surprised to see changes at El Mirage Rd soon. Also construction has started to finish the I-10 ramps and extend Loop 303 to south of Van Buren St. Cotton Lane south of I-10 looks destined to become part of future Loop 303. There may be frontage roads here in the future.

US 60 (Grand Ave): The intersection of Grand Ave and Bell Rd is being completely redone. When finished, a new overpass will carry Bell over Grand and the parallel railroad tracks. Bell is closed at Grand for the next 6 to 8 months.

Other improvements of note:

Sonoran Desert Dr was completed between North Valley Parkway and I-17/Loop 303. Now there is another connection from the neighborhood in the northern outskirts to the current freeway system.

Ramps were opened to connect the north end of AZ 51 to Black Mountain Blvd. This is a surface street north of Loop 101 in the area. It may help with traffic on Cave Creek Rd and Tatum Blvd in the area. If/when Black Mountain is extended, it will connect to the current end of Sonoran Desert Dr at Cave Creek Rd.

Sonic99

RE: Sonoran Desert Dr...

Is that the original alignment that got taken away thanks to a corrupt Phoenix councilwoman who had lobbyist friends who had property along Dove Valley, so the alignment of the parkway was moved there instead? It was really confusing because there was Sonoran Desert Dr and Sonoran Blvd (Dove Valley renamed) for quite some time until someone pulled their head out of their ass and realized how stupid it was. Sonoran Blvd got changed back to Dove Valley Rd for a significant length of the parkway. It switches names part way according to Google Maps.
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!

707

Quote from: Sonic99 on April 12, 2016, 02:07:29 AM
RE: Sonoran Desert Dr...

Is that the original alignment that got taken away thanks to a corrupt Phoenix councilwoman who had lobbyist friends who had property along Dove Valley, so the alignment of the parkway was moved there instead? It was really confusing because there was Sonoran Desert Dr and Sonoran Blvd (Dove Valley renamed) for quite some time until someone pulled their head out of their ass and realized how stupid it was. Sonoran Blvd got changed back to Dove Valley Rd for a significant length of the parkway. It switches names part way according to Google Maps.

The name switch happens almost the same latitudinal area to the Sonoran Desert Drive that connects with Loop 303. And hopefully, the Loop 303 Sonoran Desert Drive will connect to the pre-existing Dove Valley section further east in the future. There is a stub at the intersection with North Paloma Parkway for Sonoran Desert Drive to continue east.



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