PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- It's a major milestone for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway expansion project. Come Monday, drivers in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix will be able to use a stretch of the new freeway.

ADOT officials say using this portion of the freeway will help keep the project moving forward.

"Drivers who take Pecos Road through the Ahwatukee area should expect several planned traffic shifts through the year in 2019," said Dustin Krugel.

Monday morning, traffic will be shifting from Pecos Road onto the future eastbound lanes of the loop 202. There will be one lane for each direction between 17th Avenue and Desert Foothills Parkway.

"We'll be shifting the Desert Foothills Parkway intersection to the west, and that is to allow us to create a work zone so we can start the construction of the Desert Foothills Parkway interchange," said Krugel.

The Loop 202 expansion includes 22 miles of new freeway and 15 new traffic interchanges. The only interchange they haven't been able to start on is the one at Desert Foothills Parkway, until now. The westbound lanes will still be used for construction traffic, which means traffic speeds won't be a typical freeway speed just yet.


"Pecos Road currently is already at a reduced speed limit of 40 miles per hour, so on this interim configuration along the Loop 202 mainline, it will remain 40 miles per hour," said Krugel.

ADOT officials say they hope to have the entire Loop 202 expansion complete by late 2019.

ADOT South Mountain Freeway Project Homepage

https://www.azdot.gov/projects/central-district-projects/loop-202-(south-mountain-freeway)