© David Kadlubowski/The Republic, David Kadlubowski/The Republic The first mile of Arizona 24, called the Gateway Freeway, opened in Mesa in 2014.

The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to extend state Route 24 in southeast Mesa, given its proximity to the growing Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport region.

The Gateway Freeway that opened between Loop 202 and Ellsworth Road in 2014 is currently just one mile, making it the Valley's shortest freeway.

The plan is to add another five miles to Ironwood Drive in Pinal County.

State and federal agencies are finalizing design plans, and road construction is expected to begin next fall.

The extension should open in 2022, according to ADOT.

The project is budgeted at about $260 million and is funded with a mix of local, state and federal funds.

© Courtesy of ADOT ADOT's map of the SR 24 extension in southeast Mesa. Purple is the existing freeway and red is the five-mile extension.

Help for Southeast Valley commuters?

The growing freeway should help commuters from Queen Creek and San Tan Valley to avoid surface streets in accessing regional freeways.

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The extension will help alleviate traffic on Ellsworth Road and Ironwood Drive. It will feature two lanes in each direction with intersections at Williams Field Road, Signal Butte Road, Meridian Road and Ironwood Drive.

The plan is to continue to extend the road further south beyond Ironwood Drive, but no funding or timeline has been set, according to ADOT.

Bill Fathauer, an ADOT community relations project manager, recently met with area residents, who were excited to see the expansion move forward.

He said SR 24 is important given the region's population growth, both currently and what's expected.

Have a story about Mesa or Gilbert? Reach the reporter at Alison.Steinbach@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-4282. Follow her on Twitter @alisteinbach.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Metro Phoenix's shortest freeway, State Route 24, expanding in East Valley