Perspective from Eastbound Interstate 10 in
Maricopa County (East Half), from Exit 144 to Exit 167
The next three exits are 7th Avenue, 7th Street and
16th Street, as Interstate 10 enters a long viaduct over
19th Avenue and Interstate 17. Photo taken July 15, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 144B, 5th and
3rd avenue, one-half of a mile. Exit 144B is an exit designed
for carpool use only - all Photo taken July 15, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 approaching exit 144A, 7th Avenue.
All hazardous cargo must use this exit, as hazardous cargo
is not allowed through the upcoming tunnel. Photo taken
July 15, 2007.
Exits 144A and 144B depart here for 7th Avenue, 5th
Avenue and 3rd Avenue. Use these exits to reach downtown
Phoenix. Photo taken July 15, 2007.
The next three exits are exit 145, 7th Street, exit
146, 16th Street, and exit 147A-B, Arizona 51/Loop 202.
Photo taken July 15, 2007.
Approaching the tunnel, we find a distance sign to the
previously mentioned exits. 7th Street exits just after
leaving the tunnel. Photo taken July 15, 2007.
Before reaching Exit 145/7th Street, the mainline of
Interstate 10 enters a cut and cover tunnel. The tunnel
is six blocks long, located between 3rd Street and 3rd
Avenue, and Margaret T. Hance Park overlies the tunnel.
A bus station was designed for the freeway median with
direct exits from the HOV lanes, but has never been used
- the gates on the left side of the photo block access
to this area. A comparable tunnel is along California
15 near University Avenue in San Diego. Photo taken July
15, 2007.
Leaving the tunnel, the next exit is exit 146, 16th
Street. Photo taken July 15, 2007.
Interstate 10 is approaching the Mini-Stack interchange
here, where Loop 202 and Arizona 51 separate from Interstate
10. This section of Interstate 10 and the interchange
ahead comprise the busiest section of Interstate 10 in
Arizona, with over 200,000 vehicles daily. Photo taken
July 15, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 at exit 146, 16th Street. Photo
taken July 15, 2007.
The right two lanes become exit only lanes for Loop
202. On the left, there is a direct HOV exit (147C) to
Loop 202's HOV lane eastbound. Photo taken July 15, 2007.
Now at the Mini-Stack, Exit 147A departs for Loop 202
East to Tempe and Mesa. Exit 147B departs for Arizona
51 northbound to North Phoenix, and exit 147C serves the
HOV lane of Loop 202 Eastbound. Photo taken July 15, 2007.
In the shadows of the Mini-Stack, we find advance signage
for exit 148, Washington Street and Jefferson Street.
Interstate 10 performs a hard turn to the south as it
goes through the Mini-Stack interchange. Photo taken July
22, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 148, Washington Street and
Jefferson Street, 1/4 mile. Use Exit 148 to reach the
consolidated Rental Car facility at Sky Harbor Airport.
Use exit 149 to reach Sky Harbor Airport. Photo taken
July 22, 2007.
Exit 148 departs here for Washington and Jefferson Streets.
Photo taken July 22, 2007.
This picture shows eastbound Interstate 10 approaching
Exit 149, Sky Harbor Airport, 1/4 mile. Eastbound Interstate
10 is actually travelling southbound at this point. Photo
taken July 22, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 meets Exit 149, Sky Harbor Airport.
This exit provides access only to Sky Harbor Airport,
and not to Buckeye Road. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
The close proximity of Interstate 10 to Sky Harbor Airport
can be seen in this photo, with a Ted (United) A320 landing
at Sky Harbor in the background. Interstate 10 marks the
western boundary of airport property. Photo taken July
22, 2007.
Advance signage for Exit 150, Interstate 17 Northbound,
1/4 mile. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 at Exit 150, where Interstate
17 meets Interstate 10. Unlike the prior stack interchange,
the ramp from Interstate 10 Eastbound to Interstate 17
Northbound is quite dimunitive, reflecting traffic flows
through Phoenix. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 151, 32nd Street and University
Drive. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Distance sign to University Drive and 32nd Street, 40th
Street, and Arizona 153. 32nd Street does not travel north
due to the Salt River and Sky Harbor Airport, and University
Drive stops at 32nd Street due to the river. Photo taken
July 22, 2007.
32nd Street and University Drive exit here from Interstate
10, at exit 151. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 152, 40th Street. Photo taken
July 22, 2007.
Distance sign to 40th Street, Arizona 143/48th Street/Broadway
Road, and U.S. 60 Eastbound. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
40th Street departs from Interstate 10 westbound here,
at exit 152. Arizona 153 was planned to meet Interstate
10 here, but the extension of that road has been cancelled
from state highway plans. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 153, Arizona 143/48th Street/Broadway
Road. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Use Arizona 143 to reach Sky Harbor Airport, and Broadway
Road to reach Tempe. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Arizona 143, the Hohokam Expressway, is a five-mile
spur route leading north from Interstate 10 and U.S. 60
to provide primary access to Sky Harbor International
Airport. Even though Arizona 153 is the Sky Harbor Expressway,
it does not have any direct connections to Interstate
10, so it is not useful to reach the airport. Arizona
143 also connects to Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) and
to McDowell Road, both of which connect to Loop 101. Photo
taken July 22, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 154, U.S. 60 Eastbound. Interstate
10 is now entering what is locally called the Broadway
Curve. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
In the Broadway Curve, Interstate 10 Eastbound turns
to travel directly south. The U.S. 60 freeway connects
Phoenix with Mesa and Apache Junction before shifting
to a divided highway. At Florence Junction, the divided
highway ends where Arizona 79 (former U.S. 89) splits
south. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Prior to 1993, U.S. 60 along the Superstition Freeway
was known as Arizona 360, and U.S. 60-89 followed Main
Street through Mesa. Since the completion of the freeway
to Apache Junction, Main Street was shifted to local control,
and the freeway became U.S. 60. Photo taken July 22, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 at Exit 154, Junction U.S. 60
east. There is a direct HOV exit from the HOV lane to
U.S. 60 East, as well as the right three lanes exiting
to U.S. 60 East. This interchange has been reconstructed
numerous times, most recently in 2000. Photo taken July
22, 2007.
In the shadow of U.S. 60, the next exit is exit 155,
Baseline Road. Use Baseline Road to reach Arizona Mills
or the Pointe at South Mountain resort. Photo taken July
22, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 157, Elliot Road. Photo taken
June 19, 2007.
Elliot Road is a major east-west arterial into Ahwatukee,
as well as through South Tempe. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Advance signage for Warner Road, exit 158, mounted on
the Elliot Road bridge. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Distance sign to Warner Road, Ray Road and Chandler
Blvd. The signs along this north-south stretch of Interstate
10 are some of the few non-reflective button copy signs
left in Arizona. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Exit 158 departs here to serve Warner Road. Warner Road
is locally famous for IKEA, located just east of Interstate
10. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 159, Ray Road, also mounted
on the Warner Road bridge. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Distance sign to Ray Road, Chandler Blvd and Pecos Road/Loop
202 Eastbound. Use Ray Road to access the major shopping
areas along I-10 and Ray Road, both in Ahwatukee and Chandler.
Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Exit 159 departs here for Ray Road. The auxiliary lanes
for Ray and Warner Roads were added in 2003. Photo taken
June 19, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 160, Chandler Blvd, and exit
161, Loop 202/Pecos Road. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Chandler Blvd departs here as exit 160. This exit has
been made into the minor exit, with the construction of
Loop 202. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Exit 161 serves Loop 202, the Santan Freeway, and Pecos
Road. This interchange was constructed in 2003-04. The
right two lanes exit for Pecos Road and Loop 202. Photo
taken June 19, 2007.
Just after exit 161 separates from Interstate 10, the
exit splits into two, for Loop 202 east and Pecos Road
west. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
The four-level stack interchange between the Santan
Freeway (Loop 202) and Interstate 10 is built to handle
traffic needs of the future South Mountain Freeway (Loop
202). Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Advance signage for exit 162, Wild Horse Pass Blvd and
Sundust Road. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
Until 2005, exit 162 was known as Maricopa
Road. An interchange reconstruction became required due
to the growth of the Wild Horse Pass casino on the Gila
River Indian Reservation. First photo taken 05/24/03,
second photo taken June 19, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 at Exit 162, Wild
Horse Pass Blvd and Sundust Road. Use this exit to reach
Firebird Lake and raceway, Rawhide Western Town, and the
seasonal Santa's village. First photo taken 05/24/03,
second photo taken June 19, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 at Exit 164, Junction Southbound
Arizona 347. Arizona 347 is a four-lane, divided highway
that provides a shortcut around Casa Grande to meet Interstate
8 near Exit 151 (Junction Arizona 84). As a route to San
Diego, it is more direct than Interstate 10/Interstate
8 or Arizona 85 from the eastern half of the Valley of
the Sun. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
This is a fairly significant interchange. Interstate
10 continues eastbound toward Casa Grande and Tucson,
while Arizona 347 heads due south to Maricopa and Interstate
8. Somewhat surprisingly, there are no signs indicating
that this expressway is a good alternate route to reach
westbound Interstate 8 to Yuma and San Diego. Photo taken
June 19, 2007.
Eastbound Interstate 10 at Exit 164, Junction Southbound
Arizona 347/Queen Creek Road. Although not photographed
here, Interstate 10 crosses from Maricopa County into
Pinal County near Exit 167; Florence is the Pinal County
seat. Photo taken June 19, 2007.
