Arizona Capitol Times Your Inside Source for Arizona Government, Politics and Business
The red line shows a potential route for the South Mountain Freeway.
Plans for a 22-mile extension of the Loop 202 freeway around the Phoenix area’s southern edge are nearing final approval, and the owners of about 200 homes have been told to get ready to find new places to live.
“It’s kind of sad because all my kids were born in this house,” said James Voss, who bought his home in 2000.
The proposed South Mountain Freeway would extend from Interstate 10 near the Ahwatukee section of southeast Phoenix to Interstate 10 on the metro area’s west side.
The project has been on the drawing boards for about 20 years, but the state Department of Transportation recently sent letters to people whose property lies in the path of the freeway.
“The letter was just advising residents ai??i?? specific residents ai??i?? that their house was potentially in the right-of-way area for the proposed freeway and that they would soon be contacted by an appraiser to begin the process of appraising their home,” ADOT spokesman Tim Tait said.
However, Tait said the department won’t begin actually buying properties until the Federal Highway Administration approves the project.
ADOT expects federal approval for the $1.8 billion project early next year. That would set the stage for home demolition in 2015 and the start of freeway construction in 2016. Construction would take four or five years.
“This really shouldn’t be a startling revelation to any of the homeowners in the alignment,” Tait said. “It’s been well-known in the corridor that properties would have to be acquired.”
Kelly Roberts, a homeowner who received an ADOT letter, said she has conflicted feelings.
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FINALLY !!!!
Its about time that this project takes some significant steps towards becoming reality.
But I want to make it clear, that plans for this project were in place long before Ahwatukee became what
it is today. Its just that the developers did not fully disclose of the “Freeways plans to the south”, for fear
of their sales “taking a decline”.
But make no mistake this project was voted for in the prop 400 plan and is severly needed to relieve
traffic from going thru central phoenix to reach points westward like the University of Phoenix Stadium
or “California”.
You are correct in that I built a home in the late 80s off of 40th and also already knew of the possibility….it has been in the works longer than the “2 decades” reported
Pecos has become such a great work out road for bikers and runners. It’s sad to see it replaced by a Freeway.
If anything, they should simply extend Pecos out to 51st Avenue and let the road remain relatively residential.
As for those that don’t live in the area, do you get some kind of “Shadenfreude” from thinking that people living near this proposed free way are getting inconvenience?
Yes, I’ve heard the stories about “…oh, this was planned 20 years ago, so it has to go in just like we thought 20 years ago…”
That’s rather dumb. 20 Years ago, Monica Lewinsky was starting her career….looks like that got rerouted in the last 20 years, so change is inevitable. These are lines on a piece of paper.
The right thing to do is throw away any ideas from 20 years ago and think about 2014 to 2034…not way back to 1994 and say, well that was the plan, we have to stick to it….dumb thinking.
So the most reason’s I have heard in the “need” for this freeway is to “bypass” Phoenix. Well, as of today, if you want to bypass Phoenix, then you need to think further south.
There already is a lot of traffic along the beltway or beltline road, you lay this “bypass” and it would be a true bypass along Riggs Road, along the Beltline and up 51st avenue…that would take Trucks off I-10 sooner and make a true by-pass.
Leave Pecos and the people along Pecos alone..connect Pecos to the West to this bypass and everyone is a winner.
The Indian Reservation can build developments on their land like they did East of Pima Road in Scottsdale….Easy everyone is happy.
I googled this subject and found someone proposed this back in 2006…it’s an easy concept to understand and makes the most sense…why bring the trucks in so close when you don’t have to???
Thank god!
When this was proposed barely anyone lived in ahwatukee, then it was proposed and home builders knew they could find suckers to buy houses on this bad land that would one day be loud and unpleasant. The homebuilders got the land for cheap and only developed once they knew of the plans. Its sort of like if someone looks up where the next major highway is going to be and then makes an oasis there on the cheap and pockets the money and gets a bunch of fools to not get a good realtor to look up the developmental plan for their future. Everyone that bought here knew what was coming they just liked the bargain prices for the homes compared to scottsdale and paradise valley. Now it wasnt such a bargain was it.
Have to look up city plans before you buy a house anywhere people come in it is juvenile dont ya think.
I m community members and board member my family is one of the affected with the ext of loop 202 I not want to live this community this home my kids grow on this home is a lot memories if with leaving this community hearts going to block .
So here we go selling off another piece of our sanity in the name of progress. ADOT should be ashamed for pissing away tax dollars in this 20 year fight . They could have easily routed a different direction back then and been off and running. Now another community falls and Sal DiCiccio makes millions on his land investments…. Just another Arizona politician working to pad their pockets by spreading the BS.