Maricopa County's future 22-mile freeway, the South Mountain Freeway, is one step closer to becoming a reality for motorists, as the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently poured the concrete bridge decks for the project.
The new bridges will carry traffic onto the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. The project is part of a regional transportation plan approved by Maricopa voters in 1985 and in 2004, and will provide a direct link between the East Valley and West Valley. The new freeway will also serve as an alternate route for motorists to travel through downtown Phoenix, according to the ADOT.
The bridge deck construction began in November when crews pumped roughly 235 cubic yards of concrete into the eastbound and westbound steel-reinforced decks at 40th Street in Ahwatukee. Crews then began work on fabricating and installing piers, abutments and girders.
According to the ADOT, Deck construction is also underway on two half-mile long bridges over the Salt River in Laveen at the Roosevelt bridge south of Interstate 10 and the 59th Avenue interchange in West Phoenix.
When complete, the South Mountain Freeway project will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.