| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 161, Junction Loop 202
east and Pecos Road west. Loop 202 extends east for approximately
three miles, then connects directly with the current southeastern
terminus of Loop 101. Plans call for Loop 202 to be extended
east along the Pecos Road and Power Road corridor (future
Santan Freeway corridor) to Exit 190 on U.S. 60/Superstition
Freeway. In the more distant future, Loop 202 is also
slated for an extension west around South Mountain to
rejoin Interstate 10 in west Phoenix. The next exit is
Exit 161, Chandler Boulevard. Photo taken 03/28/04.
|
| Overhead signage for Pecos Road west and eastbound Arizona
Loop 202/Santan Freeway east as seen on the transition
ramp from westbound Interstate 10. This interchange was
completed in late 2003, and at the time this photo was
taken, connects to a short orphaned stretch of Loop 202.
The entire Loop 202 freeway will eventually connect, thus
providing an alternate route to U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway.
Photo taken 03/28/04.
|
| View of the gore point signage for Pecos Road west and
eastbound Arizona Loop 202/Santan Freeway east. Note the
unique sign used for the westbound ramp to Pecos Road;
this ramp will ultimately connect to future westbound
Loop 202, which is the future South Mountain Freeway west
of Interstate 10. Plans call for Loop 202 to bypass downtown
Phoenix to the south and rejoin Interstate 10 west of
downtown, between Interstate 17 and Loop 101. Photo taken
03/28/04.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 160, Chandler
Boulevard. Photo taken 05/23/03.
|
| Chandler Boulevard was here before Loop 202, but it
is now the lesser ramp. The sprawling interchange dominates
the offramp for Chandler Boulevard, exit 160. Loop 202
will head east toward Chandler and Mesa, where it will
turn north and join the existing Red Mountain Freeway.
In addition, Loop 202 is proposed to head west to provide
a bypass of downtown Phoenix to the south of South Mountain.
Photo taken 05/23/03.
|
| This new interchange will provide the connections between
Interstate 10 and Arizona Loop 202/Santan Freeway. At
the time this photo was taken, the Loop 202 was not open
to traffic, but much of the interchange complex was already
largely complete. Note the lane restrictions due to construction
along westbound continue in this photo. Photo taken 05/23/03.
|
| Now descending off the ramp from Loop 202 to Interstate
10 west, we see advance signage for exit 159, Ray Road.
Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Ray Road accesses the primary commercial center of Ahwatukee
and West Chandler, with big box centers lining both sides
of the freeway at Ray Road. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 159, Ray Road. Interstate
10 becomes much more urban as it passes by the next two
exits, including additional lanes and more traffic. Photo
taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 158, Warner
Road, three-quarters of a mile. This sign is mounted on
the overpass for Ray Road. This bridge is currently in
the process of being widened. Photo taken 05/23/03.
|
| Mileage sign along westbound Interstate 10 for Warner
Road, Elliot Road, and Baseline Road. Photo taken 05/23/03.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 158, Warner Road. Photo
taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 157, Elliot
Road, three-quarters of a mile. This sign is mounted on
the overpass for Warner Road. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Mileage sign along westbound Interstate 10 for Exit
157, Elliot Road, one-quarter mile, followed by Baseline
Road and U.S. 60. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 157, Elliot Road. Elliot
Road leads east into Guadalupe and west into the Phoenix
community of Ahwatukee. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Advance signage for exit 155, Baseline Road, and US
60. This sign is mounted on the Ray Road bridge. Photo
taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 155, Baseline
Road. Baseline Road parallels U.S. 60 as it passes through
Mesa, and it also heads west to reach the base of South
Mountain. This sign is mounted on the Guadalupe Road overpass,
which does not have an exit from Interstate 10. Photo
taken 12/31/06.
|
| Use exit 155 to reach Guadalupe and South Mountain Community
College. Guadalupe is a small town settled by the Pasqua
Yaqui tribe, who fled from Mexico to escape persecution.
Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| The next exit along westbound is for Baseline Road,
followed by Eastbound U.S. 60. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 155, Baseline Road.
The next exit is Exit 154, Junction Eastbound U.S. 60.
Westbound U.S. 60 will join westbound Interstate 10 into
downtown Phoenix. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 154, Junction U.S. 60
east. 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. 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 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 is split into local and express
lanes here. The local lanes to the right carry U.S. 60
traffic to the Superstition Freeway, while the through
lanes have signs for the next two exits, Exit 153B to
Broadway Road and Exit 153A to Northbound Arizona 143/Hohokam
Expressway/Sky Harbor International Airport. Photo taken
12/31/06.
|
| View of the exit ramp from the local lanes of westbound
Interstate 10 onto eastbound U.S. 60/Superstition Freeway
(Exit 154). The next exit from the main lanes is Exit
153A, Junction Arizona 143/Hohokam Expressway. Photo taken
12/31/06.
|
| Continuing on Interstate 10 right after the U.S. 60/Superstition
Freeway interchange in Tempe, this picture shows westbound
Interstate 10 (actually headed north at this point) approaches
Exit 153B, Broadway Road and 52nd Street (one-half mile)
as seen from the high-occupancy vehicle transition lane
from westbound U.S. 60 onto westbound Interstate 10. The
next exit is Exit 153A, Junction Arizona 143/Hohokam Expressway.
Note that Interstate 10 and U.S. 60 are clearly marked
on the overhead sign. First photo taken 03/02/03, second
taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 and U.S. 60 approaches Exit
153B, Broadway Road and 52nd Street, one-quarter mile.
52nd Street is a north-south city street, and it roughly
parallels Arizona 143/Hohokam Expressway. First photo
taken 03/02/03, second taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 and U.S. 60 at Exit 153B, Broadway
Road and 52nd Street. Broadway Road leads east-west but
remains south of downtown Phoenix. Taking this route west
will lead to Manzanita Speedway. Taking Broadway Road
east leads into Tempe and Mesa. Photo taken 03/02/03.
|
| 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 03/02/03.
|
| Distance sign to the next three exits - 40th Street,
University Drive and 32nd Street, and 24th Street. Photo
taken 12/31/06.
|
| Advance signage for exit 152, 40th Street. Photo taken
12/31/06.
|
| If and when Arizona 153 is extended south to Interstate
10, it will connect to 40th street just north of this
interchange. A freeway to freeway interchange between
Arizona 153 and Interstate 10 is not planned to be constructed.
Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| 40th Street departs from Interstate 10 westbound here,
at exit 152. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Advance signage for exit 151, 32nd Street and University
Drive. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Distance sign to University Drive and 32nd Street, 24th
Street, and Interstate 17. 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 12/31/06.
|
| 32nd Street and University Drive exit here from Interstate
10, at exit 151. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Hazardous cargo is directed to use Interstate
17/U.S. 60 rather than Interstate 10 because of the lengthy
tunnel along Interstate 10 as evidenced by this photo
taken along westbound. Photos taken 03/02/03 and 05/25/03.
|
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 and U.S. 60 approaches
Exit 150B, Junction Northbound Interstate 17. (Exit 150A
is for 24th Street.) This interchange marks the southern
terminus of Interstate 17, just southeast of downtown.
Although some maps show U.S. 60 following Interstate 10
through downtown, it actually follows Interstate 17 north
(west) to the 19th Avenue exit. Photo taken 12/31/06 and
05/25/03.
|
|
| This standalone sign indicates that through
traffic for U.S. 60 headed to Wickenburg should use the
Interstate 17 exit (Exit 150A). Photos taken 03/02/03
and 12/31/06.
|
|
| Westbound Interstate 10/U.S. 60 at Exit 150B, 24th Street.
The next exit, of course, is Exit 150B, Junction Interstate
17 northbound. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 150A, where Interstate
17/U.S. 60 split off from Interstate 10. Interstate 17/U.S.
60 is shown as a truck route as well as the hazardous
cargo route as evidenced by signage here. There is no
direct connection from the Interstate 10 high occupancy
lane onto the mainline of Interstate 17. Photo 05/25/03
|
| After the Interstate 17 exit, westbound Interstate
10 turns north to meet Arizona 51/Loop 202. In between
Interstate 17 and Arizona 51, westbound meets Exit 149,
Buckeye Road. This exit leads to Sky Harbor International
Airport to the east and downtown to the west. Indeed,
westbound Buckeye Road connects to the historic route
of U.S. 80 en route to Gila Bend, Yuma, and San Diego.
Photos taken 12/31/06 and 05/25/03.
|
|
| As the road continues to bend to the north,
the sun angle dramatically improves for sign photos. This
picture shows westbound approaches Exit 149, Buckeye Road,
next right. Photos taken 12/31/06 and 05/25/03.
|
|
| View of westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 149, Buckeye
Road. Use Buckeye Road to reach Sky Harbor Airport and
the consolidated Car Rental facility. First photo taken
03/02/03, second photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 148,
Jefferson Street and Washington Street, one-half mile.
Note that there is no exit to Van Buren Street, which
is former Business Loop I-10 through downtown Phoenix,
as well as former US 60. The next exit is Exit 147, Junction
Loop 202 and Arizona 51. First photo taken 03/02/03; second
photo taken 12/31/06.
|
|
| This mileage sign along westbound provides the distance
to Exit 148 (Jefferson Street and Washington Street),
one-quarter mile, and Exit 149 (Junction Arizona 51 and
Loop 202). This sign was replaced as part of the Mini-stack
reconstruction in 2004. Photo taken 03/02/03.
|
| Many non-reflective button copy signs were replaced
in the 1990s and 2000s, but a holdout was this exit sign
for Exit 148 (Jefferson and Washington Street) along westbound.
The adjacent sign for Arizona 51 and Loop 202 are newer,
with reflective sheeting. All signs were replaced with
the reconstruction of the Mini-stack in 2004. Photos taken
05/25/03 and 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Junction Arizona
51 and Loop 202, one-quarter mile. As part of the reconstruction,
a HOV connector was added to the interchange, forcing
the ramp to Arizona 51 and Loop 202 to be pushed south
1/4 mile. This photo is taken where the HOV lane exits
to Arizona 51 north, as exit 147C. Photos taken 05/25/03
and 12/31/06.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 meets Arizona 51 and Loop 202
here, at exit 147A-B. This interchange (the mini-stack)
is the busiest in the state, slightly ahead of the stack
interchange of Interstate 17 and Interstate 10. Photos
taken 05/25/03 and 12/31/06.
|
| The upcoming interchange between Interstate 10, Arizona
51, and Loop 202 is arguably one of the busiest in the
area. This picture shows westbound Interstate 10 approaches
Arizona 51 and Loop 202. Photos taken 05/25/03 and 12/31/06.
|
| On the split from Interstate 10 to Loop 202 and Arizona
51, the right lane exits to Loop 202 while the left two
lanes continue to Arizona 51. The ramp crosses over Washington
Street and Jefferson Street here. Photos taken 05/25/03
and 12/31/06.
|
| The added carpool lane can be seen clearly to the left
of the collector/distributor lanes to Arizona 51 and Loop
202. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| Loop 202 splits from Arizona 51, at exit 147A. At this
point, we are on Arizona 51 and have advance signage for
exit 1, McDowell Road. Photo taken 12/31/06.
|
| At the interchange with Arizona 51 and Loop 202, mainline
Interstate 10 traffic avoids much of the flyover ramps
by remaining to the southwest of the stack. This image,
taken along westbound, shows some of the ramps in the
background, including the transition ramp from southbound
Arizona 51 onto eastbound Loop 202. Photo taken 03/02/03.
|
| Mileage sign in the shadow of the Interstate 10/Arizona
Loop 202/Arizona 51 interchange. The next exits are Exit
145, 7th Street; Exit 144, 7th Avenue; and Exit 143C,
19th Avenue/Grand Avenue. Photo taken 05/25/03.
|
| After the Loop 202/Arizona 51 interchange, Interstate
10 again heads due west, and its first interchange along
westbound is Exit 145, 7th Street. This is a major access
route into downtown Phoenix. First photo taken 05/25/03
,second taken March 3, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 145, 7th Street,
one-quarter mile. First photo taken 05/25/03, second taken
March 25, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 145, 7th Street. First
photo taken 05/25/03, second taken March 25, 2007.
|
| To keep confusion at a minimum, the next exit is 7th
Avenue (Exit 144, three-quarters of a mile). This is another
major exit into downtown Phoenix. A similar dilemma regarding
confusion between consecutive exits for 7th Avenue and
7th Street exists along Loop 101 in North Phoenix. First
photo taken 03/01/03, second taken March 3, 2007.
|
| The interchange for Exit 145/7th Street (above) is a
single-point urban interchange, hence why the bridge deck
is shaped like an hourglass. From the roadway below (along
westbound), you can see the deck is wider at either end.
The next exit is Exit 144/7th Avenue, one-half mile. First
photo taken 05/25/03, second taken March 3, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches the entrance to the
cut and cover tunnel. The tunnel was installed as a mitigation
measure for the freeway to be constructed under the dense
city above it with minimal intrusion. Photo taken 05/25/03.
|
| Before reaching Exit 144/7th Avenue, 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 March
3, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 144, 7th Avenue,
as it passes through the cut and cover tunnel in downtown
Phoenix. Photo taken 03/01/03.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 144, 7th Avenue. The
sign is illuminated. Photo taken 03/01/03.
|
| The next exit is for Grand Avenue/19th Avenue (Exit
143C along westbound). There is space above for a shield,
and it is probable that this used to read "U.S. 60." However,
when U.S. 60 was rerouted along Interstate 17, the shield
was removed. Photo taken March 3, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 143C, 19th Avenue/Grand
Avenue, one-quarter of a mile. The next exit is the second
interchange with Interstate 17 and U.S. 60 (unsigned).
Interstate 17 leads north toward Flagstaff, while southbound
Interstate 17 bypasses downtown to the southwest, meeting
up with Interstate 10 at Exit 150B. Photo taken March
25, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 at Exit 143C, 19th Avenue/Grand
Avenue. Photo taken 05/25/03.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 approaches Exit 143B-A, Junction
Interstate 17 and U.S. 60 (unsigned). Interstate 17 is
a major north-south corridor through central Arizona,
connecting the Phoenix metropolitan area with Flagstaff
and transcontinental Interstate 40. In addition, connections
to U.S. National Parks are available via U.S. 180 to the
Grand Canyon and U.S. 89 to Zion. Photo taken March 25,
2007.
|
| This is an unusual sign bridge, considering that most
are of the "tubular" format in the Phoenix area. These
pictures show the Interstate 17 interchange along westbound
at Exits 143B-A. U.S. 60 is paired with Interstate 17,
but it is omitted from these signs because U.S. 60 previously
exited Interstate 10 back at Exit 150. Photo taken March
25, 2007.
|
| View of the transition ramp from westbound Interstate
10 to Junction North/Southbound Interstate 17 and West/Eastbound
U.S. 60. Photo taken March 3, 2007.
|
| Westbound Interstate 10 passing over the Interstate
17/U.S. 60 stack interchange. This interchange is probably
much more impressive from the bottom, along Interstate
17. We'll have to come back to get pictures from that
perspective. Photo taken March 25, 2007.
|
Page Updated April 8, 2007.
