Arizona State Route 101

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State Route 101
Agua Fria Freeway, Pima Freeway, Price Freeway
Maintained by ADOT
Length: 60.98 mi[1] (98.14 km)
CCW end: I-10 in Tolleson
Major
junctions:		 US 60 in Peoria
I-17 in Phoenix
SR 51 in Phoenix
SR 202 in Tempe
US 60 in Tempe
CW end: SR 202 in Chandler
State routes in Arizona
< SR 99 SR 143 >
Unconstructed - Former

State Route 101, or Loop 101, (spoken as one-oh-one) is a semi-beltway encompassing much of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in the United States. It connects several large suburbs of Phoenix, including Glendale, Peoria, North Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler. Construction began in the late-1980s and was completed in 2001. Additional general purpose lanes and a high occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) are being constructed along the eastern stretch of Loop 101 from Scottsdale to Chandler, starting at Princess Drive to Loop 202, Santan Freeway.

Loop 101 has interchanges with almost all area freeways, including: Loop 202, US 60, SR 51, Interstate 17, and Interstate 10 along its 61-mile (98 km) route.

An exit in Northeast Phoenix at 64th Street is currently under construction and due for completion sometimes in 2008 according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, who updates their website regularly about traffic and construction projects, improvements, and closures.[1]

Contents

[edit] Route description

Old colored Arizona Loop 101 shield that is being phased out
Old colored Arizona Loop 101 shield that is being phased out

Loop 101 begins west of Phoenix in Tolleson at Interstate 10. From there, it heads north through Glendale, passing the University of Phoenix Stadium and Jobing.com Arena. Continuing through Peoria, it passes the Peoria Sports Complex before heading east just past the Arrowhead Towne Center mall.

At milepost 23, Loop 101 intersects Interstate 17 near the Deer Valley Airport, 15 miles north of Downtown Phoenix. Continuing east, it passes through the Union Hills area and then crosses the northern terminus of SR 51 (Piestewa Freeway) at milepost 30. East of its junction with SR 51, Loop 101 curves south through Scottsdale in the northeast valley.

Continuing south, Loop 101 crosses the northern section of Loop 202 in Tempe at milepost 51, near the campus of Arizona State University. It then crosses US 60 at milepost 55 before ending at exit 61BC at the southern portion of Loop 202 in Chandler.

[edit] Photo enforcement

In 2006, Scottsdale installed speed enforcement cameras along its stretch of Loop 101 to combat criticism of a high fatality rate along its section of freeway. However, the speed enforcement cameras were discontinued in August 2006. They were restarted again in late February of 2007.

The photo enforcement was based on inductive sheeting on the freeway bed located at six fixed positions along the freeway - three in each direction. The photo enforcement was in a trial phase, with the trial ending in December 2006. In January 2007, the program was authorized by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to resume in February 2007.[2]

There has been much criticism of the program since its inception. For instance, in May 2006, a vehicle was allegedly clocked traveling at 147 MPH (237 km/h) on Loop 101. Scottsdale police arrested Lawrence Pargo soon afterwards. According to the manufacturer Hyundai, [3] the vehicle the suspect was driving had a centrifugal governor, and was only capable of traveling 137 MPH (220 km/h).[4]

The system is calibrated to ticket anyone traveling 76 MPH (122 km/h) or greater, as 65 MPH (105 km/h) is the predetermined speed limit. The system is also designed for night time use and utilizes equipment with a high intensity flash and full motion video capture to take pictures of fast-moving objects.[5]

Where does the money collected from fines go?

For a typical $162 ticket:

$78 (about) - Goes to state surcharges for Criminal Justice Enhancement Fund and other designated state programs.

$42.48 - Goes to Redflex Traffic Systems, the city's photo enforcement contractor.

$32 - Goes to covering general operating costs for the program, including city rental payments to Redflex for the equipment and other police, prosecutor and court costs.

$10 - Goes for a fund used only for court operations enhancements.[2]

[edit] Nicknames

Sections of Loop 101 are given nicknames:

  • Agua Fria Freeway in the west valley from I-10 to I-17.
  • Pima Freeway in the east valley from I-17 to Loop 202's Red Mountain Freeway.
  • Price Freeway from Loop 202's Red Mountain Freeway to Loop 202's Santan Freeway.

[edit] Exit list

The entire route is in Maricopa County.

Location # Destinations Notes
Tolleson 1 I-10 (Papago Freeway) – Phoenix, Los Angeles Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 1A (west) and 1B (east)
Phoenix 2 McDowell Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance
3 Thomas Road
4 Indian School Road
Glendale 5 Camelback Road
6 Bethany Home Road
7 Glendale Avenue
Peoria 8 Northern Avenue
9 Olive Avenue
10 Peoria Avenue
11 US 60 (Grand Avenue) / 91st Avenue
12 Thunderbird Road
14 Bell Road
Glendale 15 Union Hills Drive
17 75th Ave
18 67th Ave
19 59th Ave
Phoenix 20 51st Ave
22 35th Ave Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
23A 27th Ave
23 I-17 (Black Canyon Freeway) – Flagstaff, Phoenix Signed as exits 23B (north) and 23C (south)
24 19th Ave Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
25 7th Ave
26 7th Street
28 Cave Creek Road
29 SR 51 south (Piestewa Freeway)
31 Tatum Blvd
32 56th Street
Phoenix,
Scottsdale
33 64th Street Under construction[6]
34 Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale 35 Hayden Road
36 Pima Road, Princess Drive
38 Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, Bell Road
39 Raintree Drive, Thunderbird Road
40 Cactus Road
41 Shea Boulevard
Salt River
Pima-Maricopa
Indian Community		 42 90th Street, Pima Road
43 Via de Ventura
44 Indian Bend Road
45 McDonald Drive
46 Chaparral Road
47 Indian School Road
48 Thomas Road
49 McDowell Road
50 McKellips Road
Tempe 51 Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway)
52 Rio Salado Parkway, 8th Street, University Drive
53 Broadway Road
54 Southern Avenue, Baseline Road Signed as exit 55C northbound
55 US 60 (Superstition Freeway) – Globe, Phoenix Signed as exits 55A (east) and 55B (west)
56 Guadalupe Road
57 Elliot Road
Chandler 58 Warner Road
59 Ray Road
60 Chandler Boulevard Southbound exit and northbound entrance
61A Price Road Southbound exit and northbound entrance
61 Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 61B (west) and 61C (east)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. 2006 ADOT Highway Log. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  2. ^ Ferraresi, Michael (2007-02-09). Signs warn motorists of speed cameras' return. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
  3. ^ Hyundai Sonata LX. Car and Driver.
  4. ^ Accused 147 mph speeder gets day in court. East Valley Tribune.
  5. ^ Photo Enforcement 101. City of Scottsdale.
  6. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation, Loop 101 (Pima Freeway), accessed February 2008

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Freeways in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area
Radial
Circumferential
Interchanges and other