The final 4.5-mile stretch of Arizona’s Loop 202 was scheduled to open July 21. The $2.3 billion freeway aims to cut commuting time while providing a gateway to businesses and communities in the rapidly growing southeast Valley.
The freeway spans 56 miles from I-10 in Chandler, east through Gilbert and north into Mesa, and loops west to Arizona 51 in Phoenix. The new freeway will help drivers avoid crowded U.S. 60 and Loop 101.
Pinal County Supervisor Sandie Smith believes that Loop 202 will begin opening her rural county to much-needed economic diversification and higher-paying jobs.
"Improving access and shortening the time of travel helps us bring in light-industrial and high-tech companies—the type of industry we need," she said.
Planning for the freeway started in 1985, after voters approved a sales tax of 0.5% to fund 231 miles of freeways as part of a 20-year program to improve transprtation.
But ten years later, the project had not come to fruition. Critics cited poor management and high cost projections, but transportation officials claimed that the delay was the result of an economic downturn and high land prices for rights of way. The debate prompted political and financial compromises.
The loop has opened in segments over the past few years. State officials are viewing its completion as a labor of love.
Timothy Tait, an ADOT community-relations director, called it "the end of an important chapter in the Valley's development" and part of "a vision unimaginable in most urban areas. Beyond the 17 in. of pavement that makes a roadway, we are building connections between people, communities and economies."
