By Caroline Yu | Daily Independent
People with commutes along the north Loop 101 can expect to see improvements to the flow of traffic as early as 2025 once construction is completed on additional and expanded lanes, according to state transportation officials
On Nov. 2, project staff from the Arizona Department of Transportation met for a virtual public meeting to share what improvements will occur on Loop 101 from Shea Boulevard to Princess Drive.
Proposed changes aside from the Loop 101 expansion include ones at the:
- Princess Drive Interchange
- Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard Interchange
- Raintree Drive Interchange
- Shea Boulevard Interchange
Proposed design improvement to the Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard Interchange creates an additional left-turn lane to allow for increased flow of traffic. – ADOT
ADOT senior project manager Berwyn Wilbrink gave background on the project saying that after scoping out the areas in 2010, it was identified that widening the main roadway was the primary goal. Since that time, updates were made to focus the current project on improving crossroads as a way to “increase capacity and efficiency.”
“2040 travel volume projections indicate that congestion will only worsen in the future to an unacceptable level of service if improvements are not made,” Wilbrink said. “This project seeks to improve the traffic flow and increase the capacity as well as the efficiency on the Loop 101 as well as the cross streets.”
Speaking of the project’s timeline, he said that the designs are at 60% completion with the final design anticipated for summer 2023. Construction is set to begin late 2023 and will be completed in 2025, or within two years from the start of construction.
Both north and southbound traffic on Loop 101 will see traffic improvements with an additional general purpose lane added to the 6-mile stretch of the project.
Each interchange will undergo different improvements from adding right and left turn lanes at the Princess Drive, Raintree Drive and Shea Boulevard locations to replacing the current interchange design at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard.
The design changes at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard entail that the single-point urban interchange be redone into a tight diamond interchange to increase traffic capacity, according to the project website.
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