After decades of planning and litigation, construction starts Monday evening on the South Mountain Freeway.
Arizona Department of Transportation starts the first phase of the four year project this week, widening shoulders and extending HOV lanes at the I-10 and Loop 202 interchange.
Starting with the eastbound lanes, crews will add 22 feet of new concrete in the mile from Pecos Road to the interchange.
Construction on the first part of the South Mountain freeway project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
Officials say work on the first stage won’t affect drivers travel between 1-10 and Loop 202.
The 22-mile freeway, connecting the East Valley to the West Valley, is expected to open by 2020.
