Best and Worst way into PHX for work commute? (Flagstaff: apartment, for rent)

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by KingBlunted

So overall, its a complete nightmare. At least I wont be surprised. Any idea when 303 is supposed to be finished? and or when other projects are expected to begin? aka sr 30, etc

if it's a nightmare, it's a self-inflicted one. There are affordable & safe places to live all over the valley, including inside the city of Phoenix. all of Phoenix isn't "downtown" - much of Phoenix looks no different than any of its suburbs.

You don't have to live in the scrub - 20 miles west of where Jesus lost his sandals to be "safe".

[KurtAZ]

About 45 minutes to DT from Chandler (202 San Tan/101 Price intersection), N on the 202 at about 6:45 count on slowing between Ray to Elliot, reloads from the 60 traffic merging N of Guadalupe, typically slow getting on the 202 Red Mountain until you get past Priest and slows down again about 44th Street until the 51/I-10 transition. I typically jump off the 202 and take surface streets from there than deal with the I-10 so I can't speak to the transition.

The time board on Priest before getting on the N101 usually says about 18 minutes to the Red Mountain but the more you are on the freeways in the 7AM hours, the more congested they will be. And heaven forbid there is an accident. That being said...this is NOTHING like traffic in other major cities...but we still like to complain. Commute time is dead/soul-sucking time and you can always tell the people it is getting to due to erratic lane changes and riding people's bumpers. Take it easy...allow space...don't let other people's driving get to you and you too can survive a commute in Metro Phoenix without bursting a blood vessel.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by :-D

What would the 202 Bypass Loop be like? I'm surprised I've never heard these before.

The Proposed Loop 202 Freeway, also known as the South Mountain Freeway, would run east and west along Pecos Road and then turn north between 55th and 63rd avenues, connecting with Interstate 10 on each end. The South Mountain Freeway is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system necessary for high-quality regional mobility.

Overview

[cab591]

Originally Posted by KingBlunted

DING DING DING! Thank you for the very knowledgeable and informative response. I DO NOT plan on living in downtown, so Im trying to get a feel of the area. Whats an estimate on mileage for the commute wer talking about and roughly how long was the drive from Scottsdale and Thomas to 75th Ave and Roosevelt??

My worst commute so far was 20 miles and 60-85 minutes during rush hour(4 lanes and 1 breakdown lane that allows driving in rush hour). Typically I make the drive in 20-25 minutes, but that damn traffic!!! Living in NH and working in MA is commonplace in southern NH, but I would never do it again, unless I was left with no other options.

75th ave and Roosevelt is pretty far past downtown. That said, it really isn't as bad as other posters make you think. I've only had to do it a few times during BAD traffic. While you're probably not going to know what I'm talking about, other posters here will know:

Thomas to 64th, south to McDowell. Cross Papago. 143 south to I-10 westbound. Split onto I-17. Hop off onto 19th Ave, go south to Lower Buckeye. Buckeye to 75th, then north to Roosevelt.

That said, the easiest commute to downtown is to live in / near downtown. The historic neighborhoods north of downtown are great.

Downtown Scottsdale to Downtown Phoenix is about 9 miles. Really not bad. In the worst traffic, it'll still be under 30 minutes. The neighborhoods immediately around downtown Scottsdale are fairly nice / affordable, and there's plenty to do. Downtown Tempe gets you a little closer to Downtown Phoenix, but it also puts you right near ASU main campus (meaning you'll be around a lot of young students). Where I live in Mesa is about 12 miles to Downtown Phoenix, but all on the 202. In traffic, about 30 minutes.

Now my little "cheat" to get downtown (no clue why nobody else does this)...

...202 to the Sky Harbor exit. Cut through the airport.

In the worst traffic, the 202 headed towards downtown really only gets bad between the 143, and where it ends at the I-10 / 51 junction. Hop off at Sky Harbor, keep to the far left, and follow signs to Terminal 2. When you see signs for I-10, merge right. It dumps you onto Buckeye Road, just south of downtown. You can clear the airport in 3 minutes flat. When the tunnel gets stopped up, traffic backs up onto the 202, and most people divert onto McDowell or Van Buren. When there's a wreck in the tunnel, you'll sit on the 202 for a good 15-20 minutes pretty easily.







...great, now everybody knows.

[KingBlunted]

Originally Posted by cab591

75th ave and Roosevelt is pretty far past downtown. That said, it really isn't as bad as other posters make you think. I've only had to do it a few times during BAD traffic. While you're probably not going to know what I'm talking about, other posters here will know:

Thomas to 64th, south to McDowell. Cross Papago. 143 south to I-10 westbound. Split onto I-17. Hop off onto 19th Ave, go south to Lower Buckeye. Buckeye to 75th, then north to Roosevelt.

That said, the easiest commute to downtown is to live in / near downtown. The historic neighborhoods north of downtown are great.

Downtown Scottsdale to Downtown Phoenix is about 9 miles. Really not bad. In the worst traffic, it'll still be under 30 minutes. The neighborhoods immediately around downtown Scottsdale are fairly nice / affordable, and there's plenty to do. Downtown Tempe gets you a little closer to Downtown Phoenix, but it also puts you right near ASU main campus (meaning you'll be around a lot of young students). Where I live in Mesa is about 12 miles to Downtown Phoenix, but all on the 202. In traffic, about 30 minutes.

Now my little "cheat" to get downtown (no clue why nobody else does this)...

...202 to the Sky Harbor exit. Cut through the airport.

In the worst traffic, the 202 headed towards downtown really only gets bad between the 143, and where it ends at the I-10 / 51 junction. Hop off at Sky Harbor, keep to the far left, and follow signs to Terminal 2. When you see signs for I-10, merge right. It dumps you onto Buckeye Road, just south of downtown. You can clear the airport in 3 minutes flat. When the tunnel gets stopped up, traffic backs up onto the 202, and most people divert onto McDowell or Van Buren. When there's a wreck in the tunnel, you'll sit on the 202 for a good 15-20 minutes pretty easily.







...great, now everybody knows.

Very good info to know and learn! Thank you! I cant wait to come out there!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by KingBlunted

Very good info to know and learn! Thank you! I cant wait to come out there!

When I worked on 24th St, I cut through the airport all the time. I've done it some since. They must know that a fair number of people do it, because on those rare occasions when the terror threat level has gone up, and they were stopping/checking cars, there were requests in the media for people not to drive through the airport unless the airport was the destination.


Drove to work for the first time in a couple of months today, during peak hours. Traffic on 101, 202 light. Don't know why, but it made that rare car trip much easier!

[Zathras]

Originally Posted by KingBlunted

Living east of Phoenix to avoid the blinding sun everyday would be ideal. Even North or South of PHX would most likely be much better than West, in regards to blinding sun in the morning commute. Keep in mind I don't have a job out there yet, but I do feel Ill end up working in PHX.

If you don't have a job lined up yet I wouldn't assume you're going to work downtown unless that is something you strongly desire. The Phoenix metro is huge (~4 million) and some of the suburb cities are themselves quite large (eg Mesa is > 500k) so you should be able to find employment opportunities in plenty of non-downtown areas, if you wanted to, and reduce or eliminate the commute issue altogether.

[KingBlunted]

Originally Posted by Zathras

If you don't have a job lined up yet I wouldn't assume you're going to work downtown unless that is something you strongly desire. The Phoenix metro is huge (~4 million) and some of the suburb cities are themselves quite large (eg Mesa is > 500k) so you should be able to find employment opportunities in plenty of non-downtown areas, if you wanted to, and reduce or eliminate the commute issue altogether.

I want to use my degree in Business. I want a career change. My current job of 3 yrs has an office in AZ that opened recently. I just looked up the area specifically on google maps and see the office is in the middle of Glendale, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix. Right off of 17. In between Castles and Coasters.. and Royal Palm park... Know what area I mean? That's obv not Downtown right? Bold, so my question doesn't get lost.

However I most likely can transfer from my office in NH to AZ. Maybe the move will reenergize my battery in my field of work too, and change my mind on switching career paths.

[AZJoeD]

If you are going to be working near I-17 & Dunlap, then you are going to want to live in the north valley. This post is getting too long for me to want to look to see what your criteria for housing is, but there is everything from low cost apartments to multi-million dollar homes within a short commute of I-17 & Dunlap.

[KingBlunted]

I want to Rent until I gain my bearings and get situated. 1000$/m or less with all HOA included if needed.

When I get situated I want to keep my housing search 300K and under. Preferably 250K.

- I would like a private pool
- I would like 1.5+ baths
- Ill need plenty of room for my pool table and large aquarium

Ill make sacrifices along the way Im sure, but this is the idea.. I feel theres hope, since I have seen nice places in my budget online.