Proposed freeways for Avondale-Goodyear-Tolleson-Buckeye area. (Phoenix, Glendale: sales, sales tax, live in)

[swbrotha100]

The economic slowdown really put the brakes to most of the freeway work in the valley. As of today only Loop 303 and SR 24 (Williams Gateway Freeway) are under construction.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

In the meantime it would be nice if they could do something to releive some of the crush hour traffic headaches on I-10, add another carpool lane or put in a commuter train in that center strip.

do you have a couple billion dollars sitting around??!!

yes, I agree there are great summaries from a couple posters up there....gotta say the work that has been done since 1986 is fantastic....

[Jimrob1]

I think its great they have all these fwys being planned or in construction. I really do. However I wish they would invest some interest and brain power, into at least some minor bus service to populated areas that have absolutely nothing. I've been here 5 weeks and I don't get how this Metro, gets away with it in this day and age. I can't beleive all these populated communities in such a large Metro, don't even have a single bus run a day. Yet all these plans for fwys or there in construction. Its as if the area is saying. Please don't move here if you don't want to drive all day every day. Because Metro Phoenix doesn't believe in anything but cars. So you must have one or don't come here. All I can say is people must have alot of money for gas, so they can drive around all day in these big SUV's and big trucks I see here. So please don't complain about the cost of gas while you drive by all day every day.

Didn't the area learn anything about complete auto dependence in populated areas such as the next door neighbor. California is right next door and look what sprawl gave them. Miles and miles of Los Angeles and the mess that area is. Smog filled air to accompany the maze of traffic jam fwy's from hell. Fortunately LA finally realized they needed more than fwys and traffic and dealth with other transportation options. I would think being so close to Calif, that Phoenix would have learned and become a model for successful growth. I'm not seeing it at all.
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I see this 303 constuction out here in the Surprise area, and I shake my head and say what are they thinking. They don't even have a bus out here, and yet thousands of new people and businesses are coming. On top of god only knows how many seasonal people come here each year and clog up the roads. You can see where the housing areas, and of course more shopping centers are just waiting to be constucted all along this 303 area. Just more endless sprawl that looks the exact same as the rest of the region. I just don't get it.


Again the area needs fwy's but it needs to face reality, with this many people in this constantly growing area. It needs other transportaion options to compliment fwys. The plans for future transit in this area are years from now. What do they expect to do in the meantime. Smog up the air somemore than it is. Have more cars on the road. I'm guessing thats the thought. More cars and more fwys is how the area looks at life. Does the growing needs of this area, and how to deal with it ever end up on the ballot here? Or do the residents of greater phoenix have no say at all. Even more scarier do they even have any interest. You can literally smell the auto pollution here. Truthfully I think the smog and car fumes are worse than LA at times here. So I'm not getting why this goes on here in this day and age, without a combination of transportation options. It seems ony the fwy's have priority. I'm sorry but I don't think some bus service is alot to ask for in a place this populated. That and just exactly where is this Metro going with itself. Does it even know?

So no I don't get it so please educate me on who designs Metro Phoenix? Who proposes all these fwys? Such as avondale-goodyear. It seems as if the area is chocking itself, with unplanned or very unappealing sprawl and not really dealing with it. Is the region run by officials not capable of the job. Officials that can plan more appropriate growth patterns. Thanks.

[miamiman]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

That is a very good summation, thank you very much.

It's good to know that progress is being made on some of these planned freeway routes, although to me the progress seems rather slow.

The 801 or the 30 really needs to be built as a reliever to the congested I-10, it seems as though the west valley is lagging behind on freeways but the east valley got all they needed with no problem.

In the meantime it would be nice if they could do something to releive some of the crush hour traffic headaches on I-10, add another carpool lane or put in a commuter train in that center strip.

No problem. ADOT has really slowed down in road construction since the recession. I think people here have gotten so used to ADOT undertaking major projects that it seems that nothing is going on. I think ADOT is using this time to do planning for its next big construction push.

I know that ADOT has completed most of its work putting HOV lanes in around the Valley. ADOT finished widening the 17 north of the 101. The 24 freeway is under construction in the far Southeast Valley and will be open to traffic in 2014. Another big project that is in the works for late next year or 2014 is to add one general lane on each side on the east side 101 from around Shea down to the 202 Red Mountain.

There is a study for a road project called the North-South Freeway in Pinal County. It would connect the Eloy/Arizona City area to the future extension of the 24 freeway in the Florence area (which, for better or worse, is becoming part of the Phoenix area).

As far as trains, I know that the light rail will likely be extended out the area around 79th Avenue and the 10. That likely won't happen for another 9 years or so.

[Rogarven]

Since the eighties, I have to commend PHX for getting the needed freeways. I remember for years, it was only I-10 and I-17 . Even with some congestion at certain time, it is SO much better now. Now, if Tucson would get on the ball. Why there was never a plan for a East-West Freeway is beyond me.

[pandaundercover]

I live in Surprise and the north end of the 303 is coming along quite nicely. They're even a building a new Taco Bell to go along with it on Bell Road. lol. I haven't driven the 303 in 2 months now, but I imagine it's made much more progress than what i was seeing 2 months ago, which was also amazingly progressive. As long as the weather cooperates, it will continue. I think it'll all be done ahead of a schedule too. Maybe spring 2014.

The proposed route that goes through Buckeye to Vegas, I think, sounds stupid. In my opinion. We need more local highways before they work on that one. Like, a better highway to get from the 303 to the 10, for starters. I've heard of proposals to turn Peoria Ave as far west in Surprise, into a highway to go to the 10... but man, I don't know how they'll do it. It's a really narrow street with not enough widening room, in my opinion.

No matter what they do though, it seems I won't even be living in the state by the time these highways are done. Oh well.

[CodyW]

Originally Posted by pandaundercover

I live in Surprise and the north end of the 303 is coming along quite nicely. They're even a building a new Taco Bell to go along with it on Bell Road. lol. I haven't driven the 303 in 2 months now, but I imagine it's made much more progress than what i was seeing 2 months ago, which was also amazingly progressive. As long as the weather cooperates, it will continue. I think it'll all be done ahead of a schedule too. Maybe spring 2014.

The proposed route that goes through Buckeye to Vegas, I think, sounds stupid. In my opinion. We need more local highways before they work on that one. Like, a better highway to get from the 303 to the 10, for starters. I've heard of proposals to turn Peoria Ave as far west in Surprise, into a highway to go to the 10... but man, I don't know how they'll do it. It's a really narrow street with not enough widening room, in my opinion.

No matter what they do though, it seems I won't even be living in the state by the time these highways are done. Oh well.

Phoenix and Vegas are the largest cities not connected by interstate. It's not a bad idea. The interstate would also serve the Phoenix area as a local highway, as it would partially form another beltway even further west of the city. Buckeye, for example, is betting pretty heavily on this project.

The project you're waiting for exists, and is known as the Northern Parkway. This project will run from the 303 in the west past the 101 and end at Grand Avenue. This is "starting" as a parkway project, but will probably end up as a full fledged freeway before too long. The 51 freeway started out the same way.

The 303 project is on track, and making good progress. The interchange at I-10 is already looking impressive. For the northern half, it looks like they've already laid half of the concrete for the road from Bell Road, South.


The 801 (I-10 reliever project) is likely a long ways off. 2025+ for construction start. I really question ADOT's judgement with this one. It just seems haphazardly placed and thought out.. Just the general idea of 'relieving' I-10 by adding a bypass route only 3 miles south of it seems... flawed. I'd like to see them invest in a full fledged Phoenix bypass route than eating up more land with a freeway that will create disconnected neighborhoods.

The western leg of the 202 is still up in the air. Recently, I read the reservation is gearing up for another vote on the issue. I won't hold my breath.

[swbrotha100]

Originally Posted by Rogarven

Since the eighties, I have to commend PHX for getting the needed freeways. I remember for years, it was only I-10 and I-17 . Even with some congestion at certain time, it is SO much better now. Now, if Tucson would get on the ball. Why there was never a plan for a East-West Freeway is beyond me.

People in Tucson don't seem to want any freeways, period. The best that you will see there is a wider I-10, and maybe a wider I-19.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by CodyW

Phoenix and Vegas are the largest cities not connected by interstate. It's not a bad idea. The interstate would also serve the Phoenix area as a local highway, as it would partially form another beltway even further west of the city. Buckeye, for example, is betting pretty heavily on this project.

as part of the NAFTA agreement, I think it was decreed that an interstate-quality road would be built between Phoenix and Las Vegas so that trucks would have an interstate available to get to I-15 from Nogales....much of AZ 93 has already been widened N of Wickenburg toward this goal, but it will be several years before it's all done...in fact, I think I read recently that it's been put on hold for now....

[pandaundercover]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

as part of the NAFTA agreement, I think it was decreed that an interstate-quality road would be built between Phoenix and Las Vegas so that trucks would have an interstate available to get to I-15 from Nogales....much of AZ 93 has already been widened N of Wickenburg toward this goal, but it will be several years before it's all done...in fact, I think I read recently that it's been put on hold for now....

When I read about the proposed new highway from Buckeye to Vegas, it was saying that they will be running tests (or whatever they call it before go ahead with development plans), before they really do it. Like someone else said, it's at least 1-2 decades off from actually happening. Kinda like how they're going to see how having a mall in Surprise will do, before adding one in Goodyear. Or the other way around; can't remember which one is suppose to come first anymore.