Arizona Freeway Enters New Era

Begun in 1987, completion of the $2.3 billion, 60-mile Loop 101 marks a new era for Arizona's Valley, and the state.

1 minute read

April 3, 2002, 11:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Loop 101 opens in full on Monday afternoon, finally knitting together the traffic system of the Valley, whose history has been marked by patchwork transportation, fits and starts in highway construction, and jammed surface streets... Residents who haven't lived here that long may not remember what a struggle it has been to pull the freeway system together. The first major regional freeway plan for the Valley was written in 1960, but political and economic struggles hampered construction for decades. Early on, if some routes had been designated as interstates, they could have gotten 90 percent federal funding."

Thanks to Tom Collins

Wednesday, April 3, 2002 in The Arizona Republic

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