PHOENIX — Thirteen years of public involvement helped shape plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. With the Arizona Department of Transportation preparing to begin construction along the 22-mile corridor, the community can continue providing feedback and seeking information by attending meetings, connecting online and using other resources.

“As with any project, our goals are informing and listening to the public,” said Rob Samour, ADOT senior deputy director of major projects. “The South Mountain Freeway is a critical project for the region, and there are many opportunities for the public to stay engaged as we start construction and look forward to opening the freeway corridor by the end of 2019.”Beginning later this month, ADOT will hold three public meetings to provide details and seek input on preliminary design plans:

• Tuesday, Sept. 27, Desert Vista High School, Multipurpose Room, 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
• Wednesday, Sept. 28, Betty Fairfax High School, Multipurpose Room, 8225 S. 59th Ave., Laveen
• Thursday, Oct. 6, Fowler Elementary School, Multipurpose Room, 6707 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix

All meetings are scheduled for 6-8 p.m., with presentations beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The meetings will provide information on the freeway’s location, profile, interchange configurations and noise barrier locations, as well as initial concepts for landscaping and visual appearance. The preliminary design has been updated since it was circulated for public comment along with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2013.

More public meetings will be held later this year to share final design and construction plans and to provide more information on what to expect during construction.

Construction is set to begin Monday, Sept. 12, with crews widening the shoulders from Pecos Road near 48th Street to the I-10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange. Work will also include the extension of the existing Loop 202 HOV lanes. This initial phase of work will be completed prior to the construction of the mainline freeway, which is scheduled to begin in early 2017.

As part of its commitment to public involvement, ADOT is seeking input from anyone with an interest in the freeway. There are several ways to do so:

1. Online: azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway
2. Email: SouthMountainFreewayInfo@c202p.com
3. Phone: 1.855.SMF.L202 (1.855.763.5202), or para Español, 623.239.4558
4. The latest project information is available via the project website at azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway, email and text updates (click “Subscribe for Updates” on the project website), the project hotline numbers (1.855.763.5202, or para Español, 623.239.4558) and newspaper advertising.

Extensive public input, including feedback provided by the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team that met from 2001 to 2013, informed the study behind the South Mountain Freeway, including

• identifying more than 30 alternative alignments.
• helping determine interchange locations.
• recommending ways to reduce the right of way required.
• proposing ways to minimize other impacts.
• suggesting design options.

During the Draft Environmental Impact Statement phase, ADOT collected and recorded more than 8,000 public, agency and stakeholder comments.

The 22-mile freeway, expected to open by late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX — Rigorous analysis that included extensive public involvement, an overwhelming need for the project and a lack of viable alternatives are among the reasons a federal judge should dismiss lawsuits challenging the South Mountain Freeway, the Arizona Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration contend in a legal filing.

ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration are scheduled to present oral arguments on May 11 in U.S. District Court in Phoenix as a judge considers motions for summary judgment in the case.

In their motion filed April 25, the agencies note that Maricopa County voters twice approved building the South Mountain Freeway, most recently in 2004 through Proposition 400, which authorized the comprehensive, multimodal Regional Transportation Plan. They note the current and anticipated congestion on freeways and roads in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, especially Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix, and how a new freeway corridor will improve how people and goods get around.

ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration completed a rigorous 13-year analysis, taking into account thousands of formal comments from community members, according to the motion. That includes developing a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement that complies with federal law and follows best practices for transportation projects.

“The need for the South Mountain Freeway is clear, and Valley voters have realized this for more than 30 years. While there is no ‘perfect’ freeway project, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration have worked to study the likely impacts of this project and designed ways to minimize those impacts, just as we have done for decades throughout the Valley as the freeway system was developed,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “You only need to travel through the Broadway Curve on I-10 during rush hour to see the problem – Phoenix today doesn’t have the highway capacity to meet traffic demand. The South Mountain Freeway will better meet today’s traffic needs, while supporting better mobility in the future.”

The 22-mile freeway, expected to open in late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley, and will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 systems.

In February, ADOT finalized the state’s first highway public-private partnership agreement through which the project team, Connect 202 Partners, will build the freeway at a taxpayer savings of more than $100 million and will open it to traffic three years sooner than originally projected. The fixed $916 million contract for design and construction makes this the largest highway project in state history. The development team will be responsible for 30 years of maintenance following the completion of the project, supporting construction with innovation and built-in cost efficiencies for the long term.

With construction scheduled to begin this summer, ADOT is conducting preliminary engineering, addressing cultural resources in the right of way, acquiring and preparing properties, and relocating utilities. ADOT received final federal clearance to move forward with the project in spring 2015.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX –– The Valley’s Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, proposed by regional planners since the 1980s, has received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration, paving the way for the Arizona Department of Transportation to move the project forward.

The Record of Decision, signed March 5 by the Federal Highway Administration, grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, complete the design and begin construction of the 22-mile-long freeway to serve the metro Phoenix region.

The Record of Decision will allow ADOT to begin final design and subsequent construction of the South Mountain Freeway. Acquisition of right of way is expected to begin immediately. ADOT has determined that, pursuant to an unsolicited proposal submitted to construct the freeway, construction will follow a public-private partnership path, helping to speed construction and reduce overall costs. The freeway would not be tolled under any public-private partnership proposal, but would include a private group involved with final design, construction and a 30-year agreement to maintain the freeway.

“The South Mountain Freeway has been approved as a part of two elections that have provided the region with additional transportation funding. Voters recognized the need and the benefits of this project to provide connectivity, travel reliability and route options for a growing region,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Both ADOT and the Maricopa Association of Governments agree this is a critically needed project, and ADOT is breaking new ground by moving it forward under a public-private partnership agreement to more closely involve the private sector, helping to save money and speed construction.”

The proposed South Mountain Freeway has been a critical part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Freeway Program since it was first included in funding through Proposition 300, approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985. The freeway was also part of the Regional Transportation Plan funding passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 through Proposition 400.

The South Mountain Freeway is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system necessary for high-quality regional mobility, according to regional planners.

“This is a great day and an important milestone in the history of the Valley’s transportation system,” said Maricopa Association of Governments Chair Michael LeVault, mayor of Youngtown. “It has been a long time coming, and we look forward to the improved mobility and economic opportunities that this freeway facility will bring to our region.”

The environmental review process, which included preparing both draft and final environmental impact statements, was conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and identified the preferred route for this freeway corridor – running east and west along Pecos Road and then north and south between 55th and 63rd avenues, connecting with Interstate 10 on each end. The Final Environmental Impact Statement documented the analysis of potential impacts associated with the freeway and the no-build alternative, and addressed comments received on the draft and final Environmental Impact Statements. The draft environmental report was published in 2013, followed by publication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2014.

The Federal Highway Administration has decided to identify the Preferred Alternative (a combination of the W59 and E1 Alternatives) as the Selected Alternative for the South Mountain Freeway project. This decision along with supporting information, including responses to public comments received on the Final Environmental Impact Statement, is documented in the Record of Decision.

The freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. The $1.9 billion project is expected to take about four years to construct.