Phoenix Area Highways

Plutonic Panda · March 06, 2026, 09:36:31 AM

The Loop 303 thing really should be expedited. I mean hell they were able to build the loop 202 all at once. I'm not sure why they can't push the 303 project in advance that.

I wonder if they went to the ballot and specifically told people look we're gonna give you the option to advance this project we're just gonna need a little bit more money if people would go for it or not.

gonealookin · March 30, 2026, 11:30:52 PM

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed legislation which would have renamed Loop 202 as "Charlie Kirk Loop 202".

The legislation, which passed 16-12 in the Arizona Senate and 33-22 in the House:

QuoteBe it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 41, Chapter 4.1, Article 3, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding Section 41-837.02, to read:

41-837.02. Charlie Kirk Loop 202

A. Notwithstanding this article, the Loop 202 is designated and shall also be known as the "Charlie Kirk Loop 202".

B. All official acts, state records, documents and papers relating to the Loop 202 after the effective date of this section shall include the designation "Charlie Kirk Loop 202".

C. The Department of Transportation shall erect a reasonable amount of signage throughout Loop 202 that includes the new designation.

D. This section is not intended to supersede any current designation assigned to the Loop 202 by the Board.

Sec. 2. Legislative intent

The legislature intends:

1. To rename the entire Loop 202 as the Charlie Kirk Loop 202.

2. That the underlying segments of the Charlie Kirk Loop 202 would retain their names and designations and those underlying segments are the Red Mountain Freeway, the Santan Freeway and the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway.

The Governor's veto message reads in part:

Quote from: Gov. Katie HobbsI will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard by inserting politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan. Any renaming of a highway must follow the current process through the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names and not be circumvented by the Legislature.

Max Rockatansky · March 30, 2026, 11:43:23 PM

I never even had heard of Charlie Kirk until people started showing me TikTok videos of a "certain incident." I had heard of this wife though given she was a former Miss Arizona and was on the local news a lot long before she became a political figure. Neither of them seems significant enough to rename freeway after IMO.

The Ghostbuster · March 31, 2026, 12:04:12 AM

Kirk doesn't need any roadways named after him. He was insignificant.

KeithE4Phx · March 31, 2026, 12:19:44 AM

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 31, 2026, 12:04:12 AMKirk doesn't need any roadways named after him. He was insignificant.

Actually, at least in most of Arizona, that's not far off. I'd heard of Charlie Kirk but didn't pay any attention to him. That being said, I'm sorry he was murdered and I hope the shooter faces his punishment, but he is not a demigod, nor is his wife a saint. He had a following to a point, but it's the national right-wing media that's elevating him to sainthood.

CoreySamson · March 31, 2026, 01:50:21 PM

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 31, 2026, 12:04:12 AMKirk doesn't need any roadways named after him. He was insignificant.

Insignificant to you at least.

Many named freeways are named after "insignificant people." People such as Dan Ryan (I-90 in Chicago), Jack Kultgen (I-35 in Waco), and Robert Van Wyck (I-678 in NYC) carry no level of significance to me. They had significance to older generations, I'm sure. Kirk is a figure relatively unknown by older generations, but to Gen Z (people like myself), he is very well-known and not insignificant at all. As a personal aside, I have never seen a political event that attracted so much attention from my friends and peers as his death. That says something about how significant he was to the younger generation.

Now I will agree that it is too soon to name something after Charlie Kirk (to rename a highway after him as of right now is virtue signaling to say the least), but I disagree with your point that Charlie Kirk was insignificant. Hopefully, someday down the line, there will be a roadway named after him.

Max Rockatansky · March 31, 2026, 02:01:13 PM

Dan Ryan Jr. was a member of the Board for the Cook County Commissioners for a really long time. To that extent I can certainly understand why there would be interest in naming a Chicago area freeway after him.

Charlie Kirk was just media figure from Illinois that married a Miss Arizona. Why would anything in Arizona be named after someone who had virtually no connection to the state?

CoreySamson · March 31, 2026, 02:03:31 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 31, 2026, 02:01:13 PMDan Ryan Jr. was a member of the Board for the Cook County Commissioners for a really long time. To that extent I can certainly understand why there would be interest in naming a Chicago area freeway after him.

Charlie Kirk was just media figure from Illinois that married a Miss Arizona. Why would anything in Arizona be named after someone who had virtually no connection to the state?

TPUSA is headquartered in Arizona, is it not? Kirk didn't become popular until he moved to Arizona IIRC.

Max Rockatansky · March 31, 2026, 02:07:46 PM

Quote from: CoreySamson on March 31, 2026, 02:03:31 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 31, 2026, 02:01:13 PMDan Ryan Jr. was a member of the Board for the Cook County Commissioners for a really long time. To that extent I can certainly understand why there would be interest in naming a Chicago area freeway after him.

Charlie Kirk was just media figure from Illinois that married a Miss Arizona. Why would anything in Arizona be named after someone who had virtually no connection to the state?
TPUSA is headquartered in Arizona, is it not? Kirk didn't become popular until he moved to Arizona IIRC.

Considering I had to look up what "TPUSA" even stood for I can't really say that sways my opinion. Lots of people locate to Phoenix from the Midwest.

Kirk's profile certainly rose a lot more into the mainstreamed after he was murdered. His wife's public profile rose even more so.

Plutonic Panda · March 31, 2026, 02:24:10 PM

I only heard about Kirk after he was killed. I only heard about his wife because of Candice Owen. I only heard about Candice Owen because of Nick Fuentes. I only heard about Nick Fuentes because there was some controversy about him supporting Trump during one of his reelections(not sure which one it is) and now like magic it feels like I'm on a first name basis with these people. I hear about them all over, they're all over my twitter feed, it's almost like I'm being forced fed their names. It's so weird.

jdbx · March 31, 2026, 02:45:20 PM

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 31, 2026, 02:07:46 PM
Quote from: CoreySamson on March 31, 2026, 02:03:31 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on March 31, 2026, 02:01:13 PMDan Ryan Jr. was a member of the Board for the Cook County Commissioners for a really long time. To that extent I can certainly understand why there would be interest in naming a Chicago area freeway after him.

Charlie Kirk was just media figure from Illinois that married a Miss Arizona. Why would anything in Arizona be named after someone who had virtually no connection to the state?
TPUSA is headquartered in Arizona, is it not? Kirk didn't become popular until he moved to Arizona IIRC.

Considering I had to look up what "TPUSA" even stood for I can't really say that sways my opinion. Lots of people locate to Phoenix from the Midwest.

Kirk's profile certainly rose a lot more into the mainstreamed after he was murdered. His wife's public profile rose even more so.

I believe that great care must be taken when naming taxpayer-funded facilities after people. Local politicians who championed the funding and legislation to get such places built makes a lot of sense. A local citizen who is well-known throughout the community for uncontroversial acts of good which benefited others? That is also a no-brainer.

A highly-divisive political pundit? What benefit, exactly, did this man bring to the communities served by Loop-202? I think it would be extremely difficult to come up with any plausible argument in favor. His claim to fame is riling up the youths who watched his TikToks or listened to his podcast, and I do not see how that serves some commuter from Gilbert.

Rothman · March 31, 2026, 03:31:54 PM

I think naming anything after Kirk will eventually cause the same controversies as have happened with naming or honoring Confederate States of America officers.

Great Lakes Roads · April 16, 2026, 01:16:16 AM

Figured that I would post the meeting from MAG as it talks about projects and studies from both ADOT and MAG.

kurumi · April 16, 2026, 11:11:24 AM

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on March 31, 2026, 02:24:10 PMI hear about them all over, they're all over my twitter feed, it's almost like I'm being forced fed their names. It's so weird.

The good part is, you're not imagining things. There's definitely a pipeline. But you're aware of it, so that's good.

Bobby5280 · April 16, 2026, 11:56:48 AM

I knew of Charlie Kirk before he was murdered. South Park lampooned the guy pretty well. Charlie Kirk was another media whore cashing in on outrage culture. He made lots of money pissing people off; just like the business model of 24/7 cable news networks. Kirk was no hero, not a role model and not someone worthy of getting highways or other landmarks named after him. The only positive thing I can say about him was that he was very good at what he did (yanking people's emotional chains).

With that being said, Charlie Kirk did not deserve to be murdered. Anyone who values freedom of speech and a free society should be outraged by his death.

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Phoenix Area Highways