System of roads in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area
Many arterial roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area have the same name in multiple cities or towns. Some roads change names or route numbers across town borders, resulting in occasional confusion. For example, the road known as Apache Boulevard in Tempe continues east as Main Street in neighboring Mesa and then as Apache Trail in Apache Junction. Although Broadway Road maintains the same name through Goodyear, Avondale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Apache Junction, each town uses a different reference point for address numbers. Three arterial roads run continuously for over 40 miles (Baseline Road, Southern Avenue, and Indian School Road). Five other arterial roads run continuously for over 30 miles (Broadway Road, Camelback Road, McDowell Road, Bell Road, and Van Buren Street).
Arizona Avenue begins at Hunt Highway, which forms the south city limit of Chandler and also the Maricopa–Pinal county line. This intersection also forms the northern terminus of SR 587; SR 87 briefly heads east on Hunt Highway before turning southeast fully into Pinal County. Arizona Avenue heads north as a four-lane divided highway. Between Riggs Road and Chandler Heights Road, the road expands to six lanes. North of its diamond interchange with SR 202 (Santan Freeway), the highway reduces to four lanes and passes through downtown Chandler. At the north end of downtown, Arizona Avenue passes the Chandler Center for the Arts and Chandler High School and becomes a six-lane road with center turn lane. The highway continues through an intersection with Elliot Road to the Western Canal, where SR 87 continues north into the city of Mesa as Country Club Drive.
Baseline Road
Baseline Road is a significant east–west arterial road. This road is so named because it runs along the length of the primary baseline for Arizona as given under the Public Land Survey System.[2]
This line runs east–west from the "zero point" atop a hill near the confluence of the Gila and Salt rivers, on Avondale Boulevard (115th Avenue) at Baseline Road. This site is next to Phoenix Raceway. Avondale Boulevard is laid out atop the north–south base meridian, called the Gila and Salt River meridian.[3]
Due to natural obstructions, Baseline is not continuous. The longest continuous stretch of Baseline Road is approximately 43 miles (69km). The road is located in Maricopa County and Pinal County. There is also a rural road named Baseline Road in southern La Paz County close to the Colorado River which is located near Arizona's baseline.
Because of the grid plan used by cities in Arizona, the name for the road is applied for non-contiguous sections and is theoretically reserved for future east–west roads built at the same latitude.
Route description
Starting from east, the road begins in Apache Junction in Pinal County, named Baseline Avenue and is a small segment of thoroughfare in a residential neighborhood at the foothills of the Superstition Mountains. The route picks up again and runs due westward, running parallel to US 60. At the Maricopa County border, the road enters Mesa and is named Baseline Road. It becomes a major arterial road as it passes through Gilbert and Tempe. In Tempe, it intersects Loop 101 and then Interstate 10. Continuing, the road runs through south Phoenix and the major arterial segment of the road terminates in the Gila River Indian Community, approximately where the Salt River joins the Gila River.
The road reappears on the other side of the Gila River at an orthogonal junction with Perryville Rd. as CR-85 and continues westward through central Buckeye. From there, it continues through farmland in western Maricopa county in various non-continuous segments. The segment of Baseline Road farthest west in Maricopa County is just past 547th Avenue.
Due to the ease of navigation on this extremely long route, as well as the significant number of municipalities that the route encompasses, it is a favorite street for those electing not to use Phoenix's many freeways such as I-10 and US 60.
The Scottsdale Spire, located in the southeast corner of Bell and Scottsdale Roads.
Bell Road is a major east–west arterial road in northern metropolitan Phoenix. Bell Road is one of the few roadways to cross the Agua Fria River in the northern part of the metro area, providing a link between the growing suburb of Surprise with Phoenix. As a result, the portion of Bell Road passing through Surprise and Sun City is the busiest arterial road in the state of Arizona.[5]
Route description
The main segment of Bell Road, approximately 31 miles (50km) in length, begins at the corporate boundaries of Phoenix and Scottsdale at its intersection with Scottsdale Road; east of Scottsdale Road, the roadway curves to the southeast and becomes Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Traveling west, the road intersects with State Route 51 and Interstate 17 in Phoenix, the western leg of State Route 101 in Peoria, and U.S. Route 60 and State Route 303 in Surprise. West of the Beardsley Canal, the roadway curves around the White Tank Mountain Regional Park, becoming the Sun Valley Parkway through northern Buckeye.[6]
East of 66th Street, Bell Road takes a south-easterly bend and, at its intersection with Scottsdale Road, becomes Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, named in recognition of architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright. This alignment was built in the mid-1970s during the construction of the CAP canal.[7] In this area of Scottsdale, a non-contiguous segment of Bell Road approximately 3 miles (4.8km) long exists north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, which includes an intersection with the eastern leg of State Route 101.
Camelback Road is a prominent street in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The street stretches continuously for approximately 33 miles from Scottsdale in the east to Litchfield Park in the west, and runs through the city of Phoenix. Scottsdale Fashion Square is located at the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads.[9]
Camelback Road runs directly south of Phoenix's famous Camelback Mountain and the Phoenician Resort. Further west, the upscale Biltmore district of Phoenix is located along Camelback Road, including the Arizona Biltmore Hotel (to the north), Biltmore Fashion Park, as well as one of Phoenix's primary business districts (sometimes called the Camelback Corridor).
In Litchfield Park, Camelback Road passes the historic Wigwam Hotel, built in 1918.[10]
West of Litchfield Park, Camelback Road skirts the southern boundary of Luke Air Force Base.
Carefree Highway begins at Lake Pleasant Parkway in a rural part of the city of Peoria; SR 74 continues west as Lake Pleasant Road toward its western terminus at U.S. Route 60 near Morristown. Carefree Highway heads east as a two-lane road through open desert in the northern parts of Peoria and then the North Gatewayurban village of the city of Phoenix. Shortly before reaching I-17 (Arizona Veterans Highway), the highway passes the Ben Avery Shooting Facility. SR 74 reaches its eastern terminus at the partial cloverleaf interchange with I-17; Carefree Road continues east as a four-lane divided municipal highway. The highway curves through a mountain range before returning to its longitudinal course, along which it leaves the city of Phoenix and then follows the northern city limit along the Desert View urban village. Carefree Highway then follows the south town limit of Cave Creek and briefly enters that town around its intersection with Cave Creek Road. The highway drops to two lanes and follows the border between Scottsdale to the south and Carefree to the north before reaching its eastern terminus at a three-legged intersection with Scottsdale Road, which heads south into Scottsdale, and Tom Darlington Drive, which heads north into Carefree.
Cave Creek Road begins at a five-way intersection with north–south Seventh Street and east–west Dunlap Road in the North Mountainurban village of the city of Phoenix. The highway heads northeast as a four-lane road with center turn lane between North Mountain to the west and Stoney Mountain to the east. Cave Creek Road curves north as it enters the urban village of Paradise Valley and intersects another principal arterial, which heads northwest as Thunderbird Road and east as Cactus Road. The highway expands to six lanes and heads northeast along the west flank of Shadow Mountain before heading straight north through an intersection with Bell Road and becoming a six-lane divided highway at its a single-point urban interchange with Arizona State Route 101 (Pima Freeway). Cave Creek Road enters the Desert View urban village as it crosses over the Central Arizona Projectaqueduct. The highway curves north-north-east toward Cave Creek, drops to four lanes, and passes through several miles of open desert between lobes of suburban sprawl. Cave Creek Road returns to the suburban sprawl of Desert View before the principal arterial portion of the highway ends at Carefree Highway.
Central Avenue extends from South Mountain Park to North Mountain in Phoenix. The Central Avenue Corridor, roughly from Camelback Road to McDowell Road, is one of Phoenix's most heavily trafficked stretches of roadway. The Central Avenue Corridor bisects the area known as Midtown, Phoenix, a collection of neighborhoods north of Downtown and south of the North-Central and Sunnyslope areas.
For the most part, Central Avenue marks the "zero" point of east/west addresses in the Phoenix area.[13]
Country Club Drive begins at the Western Canal at the south city limit of Mesa; SR 87 continues south into the city of Chandler as Arizona Avenue. Country Club Drive heads north as a six-lane road with center turn lane that becomes a divided highway at the south end of the S-curve in which the highway intersects Baseline Road. North of Baseline Road, the highway has a diamond interchange with U.S. Route 60 (Superstition Freeway). At the southwest corner of downtown Mesa, Country Club Drive has a one-quadrant interchange with Broadway Road and then immediately passes under the Union Pacific Railroad main line. West of downtown, the highway intersects Main Street and the Valley Metro Raillight rail immediately to the west of its Country Club/Main Street station. North of McKellips Road, Country Club Drive has a diamond interchange with SR 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) and reaches its northern terminus at SR 87's bridge across the Salt River. SR 87 continues north along Beeline Highway.
Elliot Road begins at 44th Street in the Ahwatukeeurban village of the city of Phoenix. The road loops southwest as Elliot Warner Loop, which curves counterclockwise to Warner Road, which parallels Elliot Road 1 mile (1.6km) to the south. Eliott Road begins as a four-lane road with center turn lane but expands to a six-lane divided highway at 48th Street. The highway leaves Phoenix and enters Tempe at its diamond interchange with I-10 (Maricopa Freeway). Within Tempe, Elliot Road intersects Rural Road. The highway meets SR 101 (Price Freeway) at a diamond interchange and enters Chandler, where the highway reduces to a four-lane road with center turn lane. Elliot Road intersects SR 87 (Arizona Avenue) 0.5 miles (0.80km) west of a rail line that forms the Chandler–Gilbert border. Within Gilbert, the highway passes the historic Gilbert Elementary School building. At the Eastern Canal, Elliot Road becomes divided again, which the road stays until midway between Recker Road and Power Road. The highway continues with two lanes through Power Road, where the highway enters Mesa. Elliot Road crosses the East Maricopa Floodway and expands to a six-lane divided highway at its diamond interchange with SR 202 (Santan Freeway). The highway's median becomes a center turn lane shortly before the road reaches its eastern terminus at Meridian Road at the east city limit of Mesa, also the Maricopa–Pinal county line.
Ellsworth Road begins in Queen Creek, at the western terminus of Hunt Highway, For over two miles, the highway continues and north of Chandler Heights Road, the highway breaks into two different roads, Ellsworth Loop Road and Ellsworth Road, Ellsworth Loop Road continues as a six-lane highway for almost two miles, passing through Queen Creek Marketplace, where Ellsworth Road is now a two-lane highway and passes through Queen Creek Historical Town Hall and Founders' Park, both roads also provide entrances for the Queen Creek Library. Ellsworth Road continues until Walnut Road, which acts as a connecting point for the two roads where Ellsworth Loop Road turns back into Ellsworth Road.
Ellsworth Road continues in Queen Creek for another mile, and enters Mesa after passing Germann Road, where it continues as a four-lane highway. It passes by Bell Bank Park and intersects with Arizona State Route 24 (SR 24; Gateway Freeway). Ellsworth Road continues and has a diamond interchange with U.S. Route 60 (Superstition Freeway). After six more miles, Ellsworth Road ends and continues as Usery Pass Road.
Gilbert Road begins at a southern point of Arizona State Route 87 and after passing by Gila River Resorts and Casino, the highway continues and passes through Chandler for five miles, where after Germann Road, the highway follows the border between the city of Chandler to the west, and the city of Gilbert to the east, and has a diamond interchange with Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202; Santan Freeway). After passing Galveston Street, the highway leaves Chandler and continues fully through Gilbert and passes through Downtown Gilbert. At Baseline Road, the highway enters Mesa and has a diamond interchange with U.S. Route 60 (Superstition Freeway).
Gilbert Road continues through Mesa for seven miles and south of McDowell Road, has a partial interchage with SR 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) allowing access to and from the west; access to the other direction of SR 202 is provided by McDowell Road. Gilbert Road continues through north of Mesa and ends at Beeline Highway.
Grand Avenue
Rehbein Grocery built in 1920 and located in 1227-1231 Grand Ave. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reference:#85002895.
The portion of U.S. Route 60 that enters Phoenix from the northwest Valley is known as Grand Avenue, a street which slices through west Phoenix at a 45-degree angle. This makes it instantly recognizable on any City of Phoenix map, and it represents the final leg of US 60 into the heart of Phoenix. Although US 60 departs Grand Ave. at an interchange with 27th Avenue, Grand Ave. itself continues southeast towards the intersection of 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
As of 2006, Lower Grand Avenue, between Roosevelt Street on the north and Van Buren Street on the south, has been experiencing a renaissance,[15] as art venues, bars, cafes and small businesses have emerged amid the work being done to restore historic properties, including decaying warehouses.
On the first and third Fridays of every month, Grand Avenue hosts cultural events. Some of the venues associated with the Grand Avenue art scene include the Trunk Space, the Lodge Art Parlor, ShopDevious, the Icon Gallery, the Chocolate Factory, the Paisley Violin, La Melgosa Complex: Deus Ex Machina, the Phoenix Fall Space, Stop n' Look & Comet's Corner, the Annex: Soul Invictus, the Lucky Rabbit & Gallery Marsiglia, Lady Luck Tattoo, and other design houses and studios.[citation needed]
As a result of this revitalization the Grand Avenue Merchants Association (GAMA) formed to address a "Grand New Vision" and to bring the Grand Avenue community together with other neighborhood associations to form an arts, culture and small business district with a mind towards adaptive reuse of historical buildings, infill projects and both small business and community based outreach.[citation needed]
In 2011, the City of Phoenix was chosen as one of five U.S. capitals to receive federal design assistance through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greening America's Capitals program, with the goal of creating a more environmentally and economically sustainable design along the lower Grand Avenue corridor.[16]
Happy Valley Road begins at 163rd Avenue in Surprise. It travels east for six miles before intersecting Loop 303 (Bob Stump Memorial Parkway) at a single-point urban interchange in an unincorporated area west of Peoria. Happy Valley Road expands to six lanes east of Loop 303 and crosses the Agua Fria River into the city of Peoria. The highway intersects Lake Pleasant Parkway and passes along the south flank of Sunrise Mountain before crossing the New River. Shortly after entering the Deer Valleyurban village of the city of Phoenix, Happy Valley Road becomes a four-lane road with center turn lane and passes to the south of Ludden Mountain. The highway expands to six lanes, crosses Skunk Creek, and meets I-17 (Arizona Veterans Highway) at a diverging diamond interchange. Happy Valley Road continues east from I-17 as a six-lane divided highway but then reduces to two lanes east of 19th Street. The highway crosses the Central Arizona Projectaqueduct before curving south toward its end, where it seamlessly becomes Seventh Street.
Indian School Road
Historic Phoenix Indian SchoolThe mission-revival style Memorial Hall built in 1922 as part of the Phoenix Indian School
Indian School Road runs continuously east/west for approximately 41 miles with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community at the east end and Buckeye & Maricopa County White Tank Mountain Regional Park at the west end. It intersects with Arizona State Route 101, Arizona State Route 51, Interstate 17, US 60/Grand Avenue and Arizona State Route 303. Though running predominantly through the metro Phoenix area, Indian School Road does continue west of the White Tank Mountains from approximately 27600 West to 41100 West (411th Avenue being an overpass and access to Tonopah and Interstate 10) to 46700 West, and from 48700 West to Harquahala Valley Road (52000 West).
Carl Hayden Veterans Administration Medical Center, 650 East, named after Arizona's first Representative (1912–27) and US Senator from Arizona (1927–169) succeeded by Barry Goldwater.
Steele Indian School Park, 300 East. Original site of the Phoenix Indian School; there are historical buildings that were once part of the Indian School campus, specifically the Dining Hall, built in 1902, and Memorial Hall, built in 1922. More recently, this was the site of a fatal helicopter crash on July 27, 2007, when KTVK and KNXV choppers collided during a police chase, and wreckage landed in the park.[20]
Phoenix Air Haven Airport, 2700-3300 West, was located on the south side of the road from 1945 to 1960. It is now an industrial office complex.[21][22]
Maryvale Mall 5100 West. Now closed, the site consists of two schools (an elementary and a middle) utilizing former buildings of the mall. A nearby Walmart Supercenter was built with a new structure.
Lake Pleasant Parkway is an arterial road in the northwestern part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The highway extends from the intersection of 83rd Avenue and Beardsley Road west and north to Arizona State Route 74 (SR 74), all within Peoria. The entire length of Lake Pleasant Parkway is part of the National Highway System as a principal arterial, along with the 2-mile-long (3.2km) section of 83rd Avenue from the southern end of Lake Pleasant Parkway south to Bell Road. The principal arterial segment of 83rd Avenue is also described in this section.
The principal arterial section of 83rd Avenue begins at Bell Road, which at that intersection forms the border of the cities of Peoria and Glendale. 83rd Avenue continues south fully into Peoria, where it serves the Peoria Sports Complex, the spring training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. From Bell Road, 83rd Avenue heads north fully into Glendale and passes to the west of Arrowhead Towne Center. The four-lane divided highway crosses over SR 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) without access; Bell Road has an interchange with the freeway just west of 83rd Avenue. 83rd Avenue parallels and then crosses the New River before reaching Union Hills Drive, which also provides access to SR 101. The avenue expands to six lanes as it continues into the city of Peoria to Beardsley Road, where the highway continues as Lake Pleasant Parkway. The parkway curves west; within the curve is an intersection with another section of 83rd Avenue, where the parkway reduces to four lanes. Lake Pleasant Parkway continues west until 98th Avenue, where the highway curves north. North of Happy Valley Road, the highway's surroundings gradually change to open desert. North of its diamond interchange with SR 303, Lake Pleasant Parkway reduces to two lanes and crosses the Central Arizona Projectaqueduct. The highway passes to the east of Pleasant Valley Airport before reaching its northern terminus at SR 74, which heads west as Lake Pleasant Road and east as Carefree Highway.
Mill Avenue
Named after Charles T. Hayden, the Hayden Mill lends its name to Mill Avenue in Tempe, AZ. In the foreground is Tempe Town Lake, a popular recreation area.
Mill Avenue is a historic street in Tempe. In north Tempe near Arizona State University, the street runs through a popular, pedestrian-friendly shopping and nightlife district. Mill Avenue was originally centered around the Hayden Flour Mill, which, while disused, still stands on the north end of the Avenue. Today, the avenue plays host to many bars, designer shopping stores, as well as many fairs, and city festivals. It was described in 2010 by a New York Times reporter as "a bohemian commercial strip next to Arizona State University".[23]
After the founding of Fort McDowell on the east side of central Arizona's Salt River Valley in 1865, farmers moved into the area. These early settlers further developed the irrigation canals that the Hohokam people originally created and built new ones to carry Salt River water to their farms. Agriculture in the Salt River valley soon gave food to Arizona's military posts and mining towns. In 1871, Hiram C. Hodge commented that there were two stores and a population of about 100 in Tempe.[24]
A substantial addition to the Tempe economy was established in 1877, when Charles T. Hayden, a business man from Connecticut,[25] opened a flour-mill operation that was supplied with water from the Tempe Irrigating Canal. Charles T. Hayden, and his family operated the mill for three full generations, and it was crucial to Tempe's community industry.[24]
Also in 1877, Charles' son Carl Hayden, who was to become a congressman and then senator from Arizona, was born in the Hayden family home, a building which, after spending around 60 years as a restaurant, began restoration to its 1924-era state in 2014.[26]
The Hayden's Ferry Post Office was renamed the Tempe Post Office in 1879. In 1889, the new Phoenix and Maricopa Railroad linked Tempe with Phoenix. In 1894, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors incorporated the town of Tempe. Tempe finally became a city after being inhabited for over 30 years.[24]
In 1962, the Laird and Dines Drug Store closed after 68 years of operation at the corner of Mill Avenue and Fifth Street. This drug store was one of the original fixtures on the commercial district of Mill Avenue. Tempe's commercial center along Mill Avenue declined during these years.
Prompted by Tempe's centennial in 1971, Mill Avenue was revitalized into an entertainment and shopping district that attracts people from throughout the Phoenix Valley.[24]
In 1997, the Hayden Flour Mill closed after 123 years of continuous operation. The mill's last operator was Bay State Milling, which had purchased it in 1981. It is significant as the oldest continuously used industrial site in the Salt River Valley.[24]
Theaters
The Valley Art Theater (now the College Theatre) is located at 505-509 South Mill Ave.
The Valley Art Theater (operated by Harkins Theatres) is located on Mill Avenue as a comfortable single screen theater that typically shows art house and occasionally foreign films. The current building was built in 1938, although it underwent substantial internal renovations in the 1990s.[27]
AMC Centerpoint, an 11-screen complex, is also located on the avenue. It was originally owned by Harkins; however, with the completion of the Tempe Marketplace, which provided a more modern building, Harkins closed it in January 2008.[28] AMC reopened the Centerpoint in April 2014.[29]
Northern Avenue begins as an eastward continuation of Northern Parkway between Glendale to the south and El Mirage to the north. As of 2021[update], the transition point between the similarly named highways is Dysart Road. Northern Avenue heads east as a four-lane divided highway with a wide median that is intended to fit the eastward extension of Northern Parkway. East of El Mirage Road, the carriageways come together and cross the Agua Fria River. East of the intermittent river, Northern Avenue becomes a four-lane road with center turn lane and begins to follow the Glendale–Peoria city line. East of the New River, the highway meets SR 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) at a diamond interchange. The highway fully enters Glendale west of its intersection with U.S. Route 60 (Grand Avenue). Northern Avenue intersects 51st Avenue shortly before entering the city of Phoenix, where the avenue forms the boundary between the urban villages of North Mountain to the north and Alhambra to the south. The highway meets Interstate 17 (Arizona Veterans Highway) at a single-point urban interchange. East of Seventh Street, Northern Avenue forms the boundary between the urban villages of North Mountain and Camelback East and veers from its east–west orientation as it approaches the Phoenix Mountains. Northern Avenue reaches its eastern terminus at a diamond interchange with SR 51 (Piestewa Freeway) on the west flank of Piestewa Peak.
Power Road heads north as a two-lane road from Hunt Highway, which follows the Maricopa–Pinal county line, through unincorporated Chandler Heights, at the north end of which the road intersects Riggs Road. North of Riggs Road, the highway mostly follows the border between the city of Queen Creek to the east and Gilbert to the west. South of Ocotillo Road, Power Road expands to a six-lane divided highway, which crosses Queen Creek south of Queen Creek Road. At Pecos Road, where a rail line passes diagonally through the intersection, the highway leaves Queen Creek and follows the border between Gilbert to the west and Mesa to the east. At Williams Field Road, the carriageways of Power Road temporarily diverge to cross the East Maricopa Floodway; Williams Field Road heads east toward Arizona State University Polytechnic campus and Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport.
North of the airport, Power Road has a diamond interchange with Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202; Santan Freeway) and reduces to a four-lane undivided highway with center turn lane. The highway intersects Elliot Road and expands to a six-lane divided highway again at a second crossing of the East Maricopa Floodway. Power Road fully enters Mesa at its intersection with Baseline Road. The highway passes through an S-curve and has a diamond interchange with U.S. Route 60 (Superstition Freeway). Power Road temporarily expands to eight lanes as it passes to the east of Superstition Springs Center from the freeway to Southern Avenue, then the six-lane highway passes to the east of Leisure World. North of McDowell Road, the highway has a partial interchange with SR 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) allowing access to and from the west; access to the other direction of SR 202 is provided by McDowell Road. Power Road parallels the Fannin-McFarland Aqueduct of the Central Arizona Project and reduces to four lanes for its final stretch through an intersection with Thomas Road to the north city limit of Mesa, where the road continues as Bush Highway.
Queen Creek Road begins as a continuation of John Wayne Parkway as the eastern terminus of Arizona State Route 347, where it continues east–west within the Gila River Indian Community and intersects with Interstate 10. Continuing as a four-lane highway east of the I-10 for two miles, Queen Creek Road expands to six-lanes upon crossing the city Chandler shortly west of Price Road and intersects with SR 87 (Arizona Avenue). Shortly, after crossing Gilbert, the highway reduces to a four-lane road and continues to Queen Creek where it ends a stretch at Hawes Road.
Queen Creek Road is not continuous and later continues another stretch at Ellsworth Road where it continues for another three miles until Meridian Road, where the road continues as Pima Road, and crosses the Maricopa-Pinal county-line.
Riggs Road begins as a continuation of Beltline Road where the latter highway curves from northwest–southeast to east–west within the Gila River Indian Community. The two-lane highway heads east through open desert and has an intersection with Arizona State Route 347 (SR 347; Maricopa Road) and a diamond interchange with I-10 (Maricopa Freeway). East of I-10, Riggs Road expands to four lanes with center turn lane and leaves the open desert at the border of the native reservation and the unincorporated community of Sun Lakes at 88th Street. After passing through Sun Lakes, the highway enters the city of Chandler and intersects SR 87 (Arizona Avenue), where the east–west road expands to a six-lane divided highway. Shortly after entering Gilbert, Riggs Road crosses the East Maricopa Floodway. The highway's median becomes a center turn lane as it enters Queen Creek. Riggs Road then reduces to four lanes at its intersection with Power Road on the north side of the unincorporated village of Chandler Heights. Beyond Ellsworth Road, the highway reduces to two lanes to its eastern terminus at Rittenhouse Road; the road continues as Combs Road and, just east of the intersection, crosses the Maricopa–Pinal county line.
Rural Road begins as a four-lane divided highway at Chandler Boulevard in Chandler. At Ray Road, the highway enters Tempe passing Corona del Sol High School and gains a third southbound lane and a center turn lane. Rural Road gains a third northbound lane at Warner Road and drops back to four lanes at the Western Canal. The highway expands to a six-lane divided highway at Baseline Road, passes through an S-curve, and meets U.S. Route 60 (Superstition Freeway) at a diamond interchange. North of the freeway, the highway's median becomes a center turn lane. North of Apache Boulevard, Rural Road passes through the Tempe campus of Arizona State University. Within the campus, the highway intersects the Valley Metro Raillight rail line and becomes a divided highway again. Rural Road ends and Scottsdale Road begins at Rio Salado Boulevard at the north end of the university campus.
Scottsdale Road begins and Rural Road ends at Rio Salado Parkway at the north end of the Tempe campus of Arizona State University. Scottsdale Road heads north as a six-lane divided highway that immediately crosses over the Salt River. North of the river, the highway has a single-point urban interchange with Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202; Red Mountain Freeway). Scottsdale Road leaves Tempe and enters Scottsdale at McKellips Road. Through downtown Scottsdale, two parallel roads split from and rejoin Scottsdale Road—Drinkwater Boulevard to the east and Goldwater Boulevard to the west—and Scottsdale Road carries four lanes through downtown, where the highway intersects Indian School Road. North of downtown Scottsdale, the highway passes along the east side of the town of Paradise Valley and passes through Central Scottsdale, where the road intersects Shea Boulevard. North of Cactus Road, Scottsdale Road forms the border between the Paradise Valleyurban village of Phoenix to the west and Scottsdale to the east. The highway passes to the west of Scottsdale Airport between Thunderbird Road and the intersection with the east end of Bell Road and the west end of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Immediately north of the intersection, Scottsdale Road crosses the Central Arizona Projectaqueduct and borders the Desert View urban village of Phoenix on the west. At its diamond interchange with SR 101 (Pima Freeway), the highway becomes a four-lane highway with center turn lane through a mix of open desert and subdivisions. Scottsdale Road fully enters the city of Scottsdale and becomes a divided highway shortly before its northern terminus at a three-legged intersection with Carefree Highway. The road continues north into Carefree as Tom Darlington Drive.
Shea Boulevard begins at its curve onto 21st Place on the east flank of Stoney Mountain, part of the Phoenix Mountains in the Paradise Valleyurban village of the city of Phoenix. The highway heads east as a two-lane suburban road that expands to a four-lane highway with center turn lane east of 24th Street. Shea Boulevard passes Shadow Mountain High School and has a single-point urban interchange with SR 51 (Piestewa Freeway). The highway expands to a six-lane divided highway east of 40th Street. Between its intersection with Tatum Boulevard in the commercial center of Paradise Valley and a stream to the east, Shea Boulevard runs along the northern edge of the town of Paradise Valley. The highway enters the city of Scottsdale and passes along the east–west part of the city known as Central Scottsdale or the Shea Corridor. Shea Boulevard intersects Scottsdale Road in another commercial area and has a single-point urban interchange with SR 101 (Pima Freeway). East of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, which heads north to Taliesin West, the highway crosses the Central Arizona Projectaqueduct. East of the Scottsdale campus of Mayo Clinic Arizona, Shea Boulevard veers from its straight east–west course and passes through the southern end of the McDowell Mountains into the town of Fountain Hills, where the road reduces to four lanes at Fountain Hills Boulevard. The highway curves southeast and exits the town into the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community before reaching its eastern terminus at AZ 87 (Beeline Highway).
Sun Valley Parkway
Sun Valley Parkway is mainly located in Buckeye, with a small portion extending into Surprise, Arizona.
Built in the 1980s, the four-lane divided parkway traverses approximately 30 miles of what was once open desert about 35 miles west of downtown Phoenix. It extends north–south from Interstate 10 at exit 109 (Sun Valley Parkway / Palo Verde Road) in Buckeye, turns after about 12 miles or so to become an east–west road, and leads eastward to Surprise, where the road connects to and becomes Bell Road through Surprise and other West Valley suburbs (and eventually the City of Phoenix itself).
Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, just southeast of Casa Grande, Arizona. In California, the freeway travels through the San Diego metropolitan area as the Ocean Beach Freeway and the Mission Valley Freeway before traversing the Cuyamaca Mountains and providing access through the Imperial Valley, including the city of El Centro. Crossing the Colorado River into Arizona, I-8 continues through the city of Yuma across the Sonoran Desert to Casa Grande, in between the cities of Phoenix and Tucson.
Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–south Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-17's southern terminus lies in Phoenix, at I-10/US 60 and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Milton Road north of I-40.
The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the city of Phoenix. It includes much of central Arizona. The United States Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), defining it as Maricopa and Pinal counties. It anchors the Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion along with the second-most populous metropolitan area in the state, the Tucson metropolitan area. The gross domestic product of the Phoenix metropolitan area was $362 billion in 2022, 14th highest amongst metro areas in the United States.
Arizona State Route 51 (SR 51), also known as the Piestewa Freeway, is a numbered state highway in Phoenix, Arizona. It connects Interstate 10 and Loop 202 just outside Downtown Phoenix with Loop 101 on the north side of Phoenix, making it one of the area's major freeways. It is a largely north–south route and is known for traversing the Piestewa Peak Recreation Area. The peak was named after Lori Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat in the U.S. military. Prior to this time, the freeway was known as the Squaw Peak Parkway, a name considered offensive by Native Americans. Rapid growth and increased traffic demand on the east side of Metro Phoenix made the Piestewa Freeway necessary.
U.S. Route 411 (US 411) is an alternate parallel-highway associated with US 11. It extends for about 309.7 miles (498.4 km) from US 78 in Leeds, Alabama, to US 25W/US 70 in Newport, Tennessee. US 411 travels through northeastern Alabama, northwestern Georgia, and southeastern Tennessee. It is signed north-south, as with most highways that have odd numbers, but the route runs primarily in a northeast-southwest direction, and covers a more east-west mileage than it does north-south. Notable towns and cities along its route include Gadsden, Alabama; Rome, Georgia; Cartersville, Georgia; Maryville, Tennessee; Sevierville, Tennessee, and Newport, Tennessee.
Arizona State Route 101 or Loop 101 is a semi-beltway looping around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in central Arizona, United States. It connects several suburbs of Phoenix, including Tolleson, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler. Construction began in the late-1980s and was completed in 2002.
Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202) or Loop 202 (202L) is a semi-beltway circling the eastern and southern areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area in central Maricopa County, Arizona. It traverses the eastern end and the southern end of the city of Phoenix, in addition to the cities of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert, and is a vital route in the metropolitan area freeway system. Loop 202 has three officially designated sections along its route; the Red Mountain Freeway, the SanTan Freeway, and the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway, also known as the South Mountain Freeway. The Red Mountain Freeway runs from the Mini Stack Interchange with Interstate 10 (I-10) and State Route 51 (SR 51) in Phoenix to the SuperRedTan Interchange with U.S. Route 60 (US 60) in Mesa. The SanTan Freeway runs from there to an interchange with Interstate 10 (I-10) in Chandler. The Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway runs from there to I-10 in western Phoenix.
The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, more popularly known as Valley Metro, is the unified public brand of the regional transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Within the system, it is divided between Valley Metro Bus, which runs all bus operations, Valley Metro Rail, which is responsible for light rail and streetcar operations in the Valley. In 2023, the combined bus and rail system had a ridership of 36,374,000, or about 107,900 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
Arizona State Route 143, also known as SR 143 and the Hohokam Expressway, is a north–south and access-controlled freeway in Maricopa County, Arizona, that runs from a junction with Interstate 10 at 48th Street in Phoenix to McDowell Road. The only other major junction along the 3.93-mile (6.32 km) route is with Loop 202, which is located one half-mile south of McDowell Road and the northern terminus.
In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10 (I‑10), the major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States Sun Belt, runs east from California, enters Arizona near the town of Ehrenberg and continues through Phoenix and Tucson and exits at the border with New Mexico near San Simon. The highway also runs through the cities of Casa Grande, Eloy, and Marana. Segments of the highway are referred to as either the Papago Freeway, Inner Loop, or Maricopa Freeway within the Phoenix area and the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway outside metro Phoenix.
Arizona State Route 303 or Loop 303, also known as the Bob Stump Memorial Parkway, is a freeway that serves the west part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The freeway, originally a two-lane rural highway, was maintained by Maricopa County until 2004 when the Arizona Department of Transportation again took control of upgrading the interim road to a freeway.
State Route 347 is a 28.69 miles (46.17 km) long, north–south state highway in central Arizona. The route begins at SR 84 and heads north. It passes through Maricopa, meeting SR 238. The route ends at an interchange with Interstate 10 (I-10) south of Chandler. It primarily serves as the major road to Maricopa; much of the road lies within the Gila River Indian Community, with another short stretch through the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The road was built in the late 1930s and established as a state highway in the 1990s. Most of it is also known as the John Wayne Parkway. On average, between 4,000 and 35,000 vehicles use the roadway daily.
State Route 24, also known as the Gateway Freeway or the Williams Gateway Freeway, is a freeway in the extreme southeastern region of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. The roadway is planned as a controlled-access highway to move traffic from the southeastern suburbs of Phoenix to planned ones in northwestern Pinal County. It is the lowest-numbered state route in Arizona. The first mile from Loop 202 to Ellsworth Road opened on May 4, 2014. An extension to Ironwood Drive opened in 2022, with the completion of "Interim Phase II"; the first mile of this extension from Ellsworth Road to Williams Field Road opened on April 1, 2022, with the remainder following on August 11. Planning for future sections has been halted until studies for the Pinal North-South Freeway are completed to confirm how the two freeways will intersect.
U.S. Route 60 (US 60) is an east–west United States Highway within Arizona. The highway runs for 369 miles (594 km) from a junction with Interstate 10 near Quartzsite to the New Mexico state line near Springerville. As it crosses the state, US 60 overlaps at various points: I-17, I-10, SR 77, SR 260, US 191, and US 180. Between Wickenburg and Phoenix, the route is known as Grand Avenue. From Tempe to Apache Junction, it is known as the Superstition Freeway.
The transportation system of Arizona comprises car, rail, air, bus, and bicycle transport.
The metropolitan area of Phoenix in the U.S. state of Arizona contains one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing freeway systems, with over 1,405 lane miles (2,261 km) as of 2005.
Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona is primarily via private cars. Public transport is run under the brand Valley Metro, and consists of buses, light rail, and a streetcar system.
Bell Road is a major east-west arterial road in the northern Phoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area. It is one of the few roadways to cross the Agua Fria River in the northwestern part of the metro area, providing a vital link between the growing suburb of Surprise with Phoenix. As a result, the portion of Bell Road passing through Surprise and Sun City is the busiest arterial road in the state of Arizona.
The North Valley Parkway, also named the Gavilan Peak Parkway are two names for a single section of arterial parkway in Phoenix and Anthem, Arizona, generally running parallel to the Interstate 17 (I-17) from Jomax Road to north of New River Road for approximately 15 miles (24.14 km). In the last three years, the parkway has undergone changes from a series of non-contiguous partially unpaved segments of dead end drives into a major alternative route to the often congested I-17 in the North Valley. The parkway is expected to be fully completed by 2020. The parkway follows the alignments of 23rd, 27th, and 35th Avenues in the Maricopa County street grid.
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