Construction taking shape on South Mountain freeway project

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - If you travel on Interstate 10, you've probably experienced closures and construction here and there over the last few months, and that's because of the new South Mountain freeway.

"This weekend, we passed a significant milestone," said Dustin Krugel of the Arizona Department of Transportation. "We've set the last bridge girder on this future bridge, it's about a 1,500-foot bridge."

Although the Loop 202 project is making progress by being a little over halfway complete, there is still much to be done.

"We're actually widening I-10 to accommodate future auxiliary lanes to all the additional traffic that will come from the South Mountain freeway," Krugel said.

Besides adding an extra lane for the new freeway, ADOT says they hope the project will make the commute much easier for motorists, allowing southbound freeway traffic to use ramps to connect to I-10 heading West.

When the project is complete in about a year, drivers will be able to take the South Mountain freeway to get to the East Valley, instead of having to take I-10 through downtown Phoenix, which most importantly, will save drivers a lot more time.

"They'll have more time to spend time with their families, more time to have fun, and more time to work!" Krugel said.