Construction workers recently placed the final girder for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, marking the near completion of the largest freeway construction project in Arizona Department of Transportation history.
The 22-mile freeway has 40 bridges, which were installed over two years, and more than 1,000 girders. The freeway will connect with Interstate 10 at the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler and 59th Avenue in west Phoenix.
The final girder was placed at the Desert Foothills Parkway interchange in Ahwatukee. The concrete deck will be poured later this month.
The Desert Foothills Parkway interchange and the South Mountain Freeway interchange will feature a partial diamond configuration. In a diverging diamond interchange, there is no need for left-turn arrows. Local traffic makes a temporary shift to the left while crossing the freeway, allowing for direct left turns onto entrance ramps.
Desert Foothills Parkway and 17th Avenue at the South Mountain Freeway interchange do not continue south.
Full diverging diamond interchanges will be constructed at Houghton Road at I-10 in the Tucson area and Happy Valley Road and Interstate 17. Both are scheduled to open next summer.
Work will continue into next year, but the freeway will open to traffic later this year.