Drive time, East Mesa to Downtown Phoenix- the 202 or the 60? (Glendale: how much, transfer)

[eastsideweezie]

Dilemma time!
I'm near Val Vista and Broadway and will be starting a job in the northern part of Downtown Phoenix near Osborn and Central. Wondering which freeway would be best for commuting.
I know the 60 is jam-packed during morning & evening drive times, and I heard the 202 might be a better alternate but that's a bit out of my way.
Any suggestions?

[observer53]

202's pretty busy too, you might just have to experiment and see what works best for you. i've taken both, but only as far as the 101; it can vary day by day (I listen to the traffic reports on the radio) as far as which one is better.

[azcater]

I've done the same commute except continuing to Glendale. I would say for you.. probably 40 min but it really depends on what time you leave. 50 hour at 7am.. 35-40 min maybe at 6am. It's always the stretch from 101 to I-10 that kills you! Hopefully with all the construction and widening they are doing, it will get a lot better.

[mattpresley]

Originally Posted by azcater

I've done the same commute except continuing to Glendale. I would say for you.. probably 40 min but it really depends on what time you leave. 50 hour at 7am.. 35-40 min maybe at 6am. It's always the stretch from 101 to I-10 that kills you! Hopefully with all the construction and widening they are doing, it will get a lot better.

40 minutes from val vista to downtown phoenix? what are you nuts? maybe 25 minutes max

[homlish560]

Originally Posted by eastsideweezie

Dilemma time!
I'm near Val Vista and Broadway and will be starting a job in the northern part of Downtown Phoenix near Osborn and Central. Wondering which freeway would be best for commuting.
I know the 60 is jam-packed during morning & evening drive times, and I heard the 202 might be a better alternate but that's a bit out of my way.
Any suggestions?

Either way it's a rather lengthy commute, and you'll be constantly filling up your car and spending more time than you'd like just driving to and from work.

According to the map the light-rail begins in Mesa at Longmore and Main. Why don't you drive or catch a bus there and just take the rail into Phoenix? You wouldn't have to transfer anywhere because it goes right into Downtown Phx. and runs along Central ave.

[azcater]

Originally Posted by mattpresley

40 minutes from val vista to downtown phoenix? what are you nuts? maybe 25 minutes max

You're joking right... 25 min would be with no traffic. Heck it takes 5 min just to get on the highway with the metered on ramp. If I read correctly, she's talking about a morning commute with actual rush hour traffic.

[Xica_da_Silva]

You can try this and see how it works...might save you a little time:

Take 202 west to 51 north, on the 51 make sure to stay in the right-most lane and take the Thomas Rd exit. When you take the Thomas Rd exit, stay on the frontage road in the right-most lane(but not the right-turn lane) that will take you directly north to Osborn Rd, past the Food City, etc. Take a left on Osborn Rd and go all the way down to Central. Traffic on Osborn going west isn't quite as bad as trying to get there via McDowell or Thomas.

Yeah...I totally agree with azcater that a lot depends on what time you leave. Good luck, and I'd love to hear how your experiment went if you get the chance to report back to us.

[observer53]

I would give the light rail a try, too. You might want or need to take your car sometimes, but especially with gas prices creeping up again, I'd use it at least some of the time.

[eastsideweezie]

Here is what I did-
Last Friday I took Broadway to Price and got on the 101 northbound, exited at 202 and went westbound, merged onto the 10 westbound, north on 7th Street, west on Osborn. This traffic was a nightmare to put it as an understatement!
So today I took the advice of some and tried out the light rail train. Had to drive to Downtown Mesa and park which I wasn't crazy about but once I got on the train it was smooth sailing all the way into Downtown Phoenix where I got off at Osborn. I didn't really calculate how much time it took either way because I was so stressed out driving that I just wanted to get there and be done with it. From now on I will be using light rail!

[observer53]

Sounds like a good plan! Whether bus or rail, I just love that you can sit and read or listen to an Ipod or whatever, and not worry about the driving. The drive to the parking lot is a small price to pay, to me.