Arizona State Route 202

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State Route 202
Red Mountain Freeway, Santan Freeway,
South Mountain Freeway
Maintained by ADOT
Length: 55.00 mi[1] (88.51 km)
CCW end: I-10/SR 51 in Phoenix
Beltway around Mesa
Major
junctions:		 US 60 in Mesa
Loop 101 in Tempe
Loop 101 in Chandler
CW end: I-10 in Chandler
State routes in Arizona
< SR 195 SR 210 >
Unconstructed - Former

State Route 202, or Loop 202, is the partially constructed beltway encompassing the eastern Phoenix, Arizona, United States Metropolitan area. It navigates and surrounds the cities of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert, making it very vital to the area freeway system. It currently begins at the Mini Stack interchange with Interstate 10 and SR 51, and has only one incomplete segment until its end at Interstate 10 near Ahwatukee.

When fully complete, plans call for Loop 202 to consist of three sections:

Contents

[edit] Route description

[edit] Red Mountain Freeway

The first section of Loop 202 to open was the Red Mountain Freeway. It runs from the Interstate 10/SR 51 Mini Stack interchange to US 60, and passes over the Salt River and through Tempe and Mesa en route, with an interchange with Loop 101 in Tempe. All traffic must exit at Power Road in Mesa as of 2007, with the final segment of the freeway from Power Road to University Drive scheduled to open in summer of 2008. This opening will mark the completion of the original Regional Freeway System as approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 by Proposition 300.[2]

[edit] Santan Freeway

Completed in 2006,[3] the Santan Freeway serves the southeast valley cities of Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa and provides access to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Beginning at the SuperRedTan interchange with US 60 in Mesa, the freeway runs south and turns westward in Gilbert near the airport. A few miles later the Santan is running in Chandler, where it has a junction with Loop 101 in the vicinity of the Chandler Fashion Center. Following this interchange, the Santan Freeway section of Loop 202 encounters its terminus at a stack interchange with Interstate 10 near Ahwatukee.[4]

Old colored Arizona Loop 202 shield that is being phased out.
Old colored Arizona Loop 202 shield that is being phased out.

[edit] South Mountain Freeway

The third, unbuilt segment of the Loop 202 partial beltway is the South Mountain Freeway. This proposed segment will run from the already complete Interstate 10 and Santan Freeway four-level symmetrical stack interchange westward through Ahwatukee on the current Pecos Road alignment, straddling the border with the Gila River Indian Reservation. The proposed freeway will then proceed to turn northwesterly and cut directly through South Mountain Park; before eventually turning completely northward along the 55th Avenue alignment all the way until its terminus at Interstate 10 in Phoenix, west of downtown.[5]

This route would provide a much-needed southerly bypass of the often-congested stretch of I-10 through Downtown Phoenix. As of February 2008, the proposed freeway is currently in the Environmental impact assessment process. At the conclusion of this process, a report will be released by ADOT and the public will have a chance to comment. After these final steps, the fate of the South Mountain Freeway will be revealed by ADOT.[6]

[edit] Use as a movie location

In 2006, the Red Mountain Freeway portion of the Loop 202 was used to portray a Saudi Arabian superhighway in the 2007 film, The Kingdom. Filming also took place at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus. The city of Mesa received $40,000 for the usage of the freeway from NBC Universal. [7]

[edit] Exit list

The entire route is in Maricopa County.

Location Mile
[citation needed]		 # Destinations Notes
Phoenix 0.00 I-10 west (Papago Freeway) – Central Phoenix, Los Angeles Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
0.00 1A I-10 east (Papago Freeway) / SR 51 north (Piestewa Freeway) – Tucson Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
0.94 1B 24th Street
1.98 1C 32nd Street
2.72 2 40th Street, 44th Street
3.52 3 SR 143 south (Hohokam Expressway) / Washington Street, McDowell Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
4.11 4 52nd Street, Van Buren Street
Tempe 5.37 5 SR 143 south (Hohokam Expressway) – Sky Harbor Airport Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
6.41 6 Priest Drive, Center Parkway
7.77 7 Scottsdale Road, Rural Road – Arizona State University
8.70 8 McClintock Drive Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Mesa 9.62 9 Loop 101 (Pima Freeway, Price Freeway)
10.96 10 Dobson Road
11.85 11 Alma School Road
12.69 12 McKellips Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
13.32 13 SR 87 (Country Club Drive) – Payson
16.30 16 Gilbert Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
17.26 17 McDowell Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
19.12 19 Val Vista Drive
20.11 20 Greenfield Road
21.32 21 Higley Road
22.56 22 Recker Road
23.18 23 Power Road Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
McDowell Road to Power Road Under construction
McKellips Road Under construction
Brown Road Under construction
27 University Drive Northbound exit and southbound entrance
28 Broadway Road
30.14 30 US 60 (Superstition Freeway) – Globe, Phoenix Signed as exits 30A (east) and 30B (west); SuperRedTan Interchange
31.17 31 Baseline Road Northbound exit only
32.29 32 Guadalupe Road
33.88 33 Elliot Road
34.65 34 Hawes Road
Gilbert 36.66 36 Power Road
38.85 38 Higley Road
40.67 40 Williams Field Road
41.23 41 Santan Village Parkway Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
42.84 42 Val Vista Drive
44.01 44 Gilbert Road
Chandler 45.47 45 Cooper Road
46.10 46 McQueen Road
47.92 47 SR 87 (Arizona Avenue)
48.74 48 Alma School Road
49.90 49 Dobson Road Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
50.72 50A Loop 101 north (Price Freeway)
50.98 50B Price Road
51.75 51 McClintock Drive, Chandler Village Drive Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
52.18 52 Kyrene Road
54.10 53 I-10 (Maricopa Freeway) – Tucson, Phoenix
Phoenix Pecos Road Continuation beyond I-10

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Arizona Department of Transportation. ADOT Highway Log. Retrieved on July 16, 2007.
  2. ^ Loop 202 Power to University. ADOT. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  3. ^ Loop 202 (Santan Freeway). ADOT. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  4. ^ Project Map L202. ADOT. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  5. ^ Loop 202 (South Mountain Freeway). ADOT. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  6. ^ What's Next (S. Mtn Frwy L202). ADOT. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
  7. ^ Is that Loop 202?. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved on 2008-03-05.

[edit] External links

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Freeways in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area
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Agua Fria/Pima/Price (Loop 101) • Red Mountain/Santan/South Mountain (Loop 202) • Estrella (Loop 303) • Hohokam (SR 143) • State Route 85 (SR 85) • Paradise (SR 50)
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