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Arizona State Route 202 AI simulator
(@Arizona State Route 202_simulator)
Hub AI
Arizona State Route 202 AI simulator
(@Arizona State Route 202_simulator)
Arizona State Route 202
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.
Loop 202 was created after different sections of freeway within the Phoenix metro were given the designation, with the first section designated in 1990. The SanTan Freeway was completed in 2006, while the Red Mountain Freeway section was completed in 2008. The Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway officially opened on December 21, 2019.
Loop 202 begins as the Red Mountain Freeway at the Mini Stack, a four-level confluence with I-10 (Inner Loop) and SR 51 (Piestewa Freeway) in Central City, Phoenix. Heading eastward, the route passes through Eastern Phoenix and encounters partial interchanges with SR 143 (Hohokam Expressway) and Sky Harbor Blvd, both which provide motorists direct access to the Sky Harbor Airport. The freeway then skims the northern bank of the Salt River as it passes through Tempe with its downtown skyline visible across the Town Lake. It then crosses the river diagonally on a long bridge before encountering its first major junction with Loop 101 around milepost 9.5. At this point, Loop 202 enters the city of Mesa. It avoids the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community lands and has a junction with SR 87. It also passes the Falcon Field and the adjunct Boeing Mesa Facility. Just shy of the Superstition Mountains, the freeway turns southward and serves the Mesa Community College and the Red Mountain District Park. At milepost 30, it encounters US 60 (Superstition Freeway) on the SuperRedTan Interchange. This segment features HOV lanes from the start of the route to University Drive, with ongoing plans to extend the lanes.
Past the interchange, Loop 202 becomes the SanTan Freeway. Near Eastmark, the route curves west and encounters the western terminus of SR 24 (Gateway Freeway). Simultaneously, Loop 202 provides access to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and the ASU Polytechnic campus. The freeway enters Gilbert and serves the Santan Village shopping district and the Mercy Gilbert Hospital. Next, it passes through Chandler, serving the namesake airport and encountering SR 87 again about one mile (1.6 km) south of the downtown area. At milepost 50, it has a second interchange with Loop 101, which terminates here, beside the Chandler Fashion Center mall. At milepost 55, Loop 202 has a full-on junction with I-10 by Pecos Park. This section of Loop 202 has HOV lanes through I-10 out to Gilbert Road, also with long-term plans to extend the lanes eastward.
Continuing westward as the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway (sometimes referred to as the South Mountain Freeway by locals), Loop 202 enters Phoenix as it follows the Pecos Road alignment between the gated communities of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village and the Gila River Indian Community. Near Komatke, the freeway curves northward and cuts through the western foothills of the South Mountain Preserve, with a direct interchange to a hotel and casino. The route passes through Laveen and crosses the Salt River again, which is the site of the future SR 30 junction. Loop 202 takes up the 59th Avenue alignment through the warehouse districts before finally terminating at milepost 78 with I-10 (Papago Freeway) about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Downtown Phoenix.
The final section of the Red Mountain Freeway opened on July 21, 2008, thus marking the completion of the original Regional Freeway System as approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 by Proposition 300. The portion of the Red Mountain Freeway west of the Pima/Price Freeways was formerly known as the "East Papago Freeway," and it was initially designated SR 217. The remainder of the Red Mountain Freeway was to be SR 216. In 2006, this portion of Loop 202 was used to portray a Saudi Arabian superhighway in the 2007 film, The Kingdom. Filming also took place at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus. The city of Mesa received $40,000 for the use of the freeway from NBC Universal.
The SanTan Freeway was completed in 2006. This section of freeway was originally numbered as SR 220. It was given current designation on December 18, 1987, along with the East Papago and Red Mountain Freeway corridors and the portion of the SanTan Freeway east of Price Road. Between Price Road and the I-10 interchange, the freeway was to be part of Loop 101, and is officially designated as such, even though maps and road signs show it as part of Loop 202.
The third and final leg of Loop 202, the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway, named in honor of longtime U.S. Representative Ed Pastor (D-AZ), received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration on March 10, 2015, with construction completed at the end of 2019. Initially, the freeway was officially named as the South Mountain Freeway during its conception and construction (and still colloquially known as such), but received its current official name on October 22, 2019. The construction phase divided it into two distinct segments: the "eastern segment" that straddles the Ahwatukee-GRIC border and the "western segment" that parallels 59th Avenue through Laveen. Together, these segments form a 21.9-mile (35.2 km) bypass around Downtown Phoenix, linking the metropolitan area's southwestern and southeastern suburbs. The Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway was to be SR 218. By July 19, 1991, it was renumbered as part of Loop 202. A six-mile (9.7 km) stretch of Loop 202, between 40th Street and 17th Avenue, includes a 16-foot (4.9 m) wide shared-use path. The pathway is on the south side of the freeway and is also open to pedestrians and cyclists. The path was added because the former Pecos Road had been a popular cycling route for years.
Arizona State Route 202
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.
Loop 202 was created after different sections of freeway within the Phoenix metro were given the designation, with the first section designated in 1990. The SanTan Freeway was completed in 2006, while the Red Mountain Freeway section was completed in 2008. The Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway officially opened on December 21, 2019.
Loop 202 begins as the Red Mountain Freeway at the Mini Stack, a four-level confluence with I-10 (Inner Loop) and SR 51 (Piestewa Freeway) in Central City, Phoenix. Heading eastward, the route passes through Eastern Phoenix and encounters partial interchanges with SR 143 (Hohokam Expressway) and Sky Harbor Blvd, both which provide motorists direct access to the Sky Harbor Airport. The freeway then skims the northern bank of the Salt River as it passes through Tempe with its downtown skyline visible across the Town Lake. It then crosses the river diagonally on a long bridge before encountering its first major junction with Loop 101 around milepost 9.5. At this point, Loop 202 enters the city of Mesa. It avoids the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community lands and has a junction with SR 87. It also passes the Falcon Field and the adjunct Boeing Mesa Facility. Just shy of the Superstition Mountains, the freeway turns southward and serves the Mesa Community College and the Red Mountain District Park. At milepost 30, it encounters US 60 (Superstition Freeway) on the SuperRedTan Interchange. This segment features HOV lanes from the start of the route to University Drive, with ongoing plans to extend the lanes.
Past the interchange, Loop 202 becomes the SanTan Freeway. Near Eastmark, the route curves west and encounters the western terminus of SR 24 (Gateway Freeway). Simultaneously, Loop 202 provides access to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and the ASU Polytechnic campus. The freeway enters Gilbert and serves the Santan Village shopping district and the Mercy Gilbert Hospital. Next, it passes through Chandler, serving the namesake airport and encountering SR 87 again about one mile (1.6 km) south of the downtown area. At milepost 50, it has a second interchange with Loop 101, which terminates here, beside the Chandler Fashion Center mall. At milepost 55, Loop 202 has a full-on junction with I-10 by Pecos Park. This section of Loop 202 has HOV lanes through I-10 out to Gilbert Road, also with long-term plans to extend the lanes eastward.
Continuing westward as the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway (sometimes referred to as the South Mountain Freeway by locals), Loop 202 enters Phoenix as it follows the Pecos Road alignment between the gated communities of the Ahwatukee Foothills Village and the Gila River Indian Community. Near Komatke, the freeway curves northward and cuts through the western foothills of the South Mountain Preserve, with a direct interchange to a hotel and casino. The route passes through Laveen and crosses the Salt River again, which is the site of the future SR 30 junction. Loop 202 takes up the 59th Avenue alignment through the warehouse districts before finally terminating at milepost 78 with I-10 (Papago Freeway) about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of Downtown Phoenix.
The final section of the Red Mountain Freeway opened on July 21, 2008, thus marking the completion of the original Regional Freeway System as approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 by Proposition 300. The portion of the Red Mountain Freeway west of the Pima/Price Freeways was formerly known as the "East Papago Freeway," and it was initially designated SR 217. The remainder of the Red Mountain Freeway was to be SR 216. In 2006, this portion of Loop 202 was used to portray a Saudi Arabian superhighway in the 2007 film, The Kingdom. Filming also took place at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus. The city of Mesa received $40,000 for the use of the freeway from NBC Universal.
The SanTan Freeway was completed in 2006. This section of freeway was originally numbered as SR 220. It was given current designation on December 18, 1987, along with the East Papago and Red Mountain Freeway corridors and the portion of the SanTan Freeway east of Price Road. Between Price Road and the I-10 interchange, the freeway was to be part of Loop 101, and is officially designated as such, even though maps and road signs show it as part of Loop 202.
The third and final leg of Loop 202, the Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway, named in honor of longtime U.S. Representative Ed Pastor (D-AZ), received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration on March 10, 2015, with construction completed at the end of 2019. Initially, the freeway was officially named as the South Mountain Freeway during its conception and construction (and still colloquially known as such), but received its current official name on October 22, 2019. The construction phase divided it into two distinct segments: the "eastern segment" that straddles the Ahwatukee-GRIC border and the "western segment" that parallels 59th Avenue through Laveen. Together, these segments form a 21.9-mile (35.2 km) bypass around Downtown Phoenix, linking the metropolitan area's southwestern and southeastern suburbs. The Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway was to be SR 218. By July 19, 1991, it was renumbered as part of Loop 202. A six-mile (9.7 km) stretch of Loop 202, between 40th Street and 17th Avenue, includes a 16-foot (4.9 m) wide shared-use path. The pathway is on the south side of the freeway and is also open to pedestrians and cyclists. The path was added because the former Pecos Road had been a popular cycling route for years.
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