The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco affirmed a U.S. District Court ruling that allowed the Arizona Department of Transportation to move forward with construction of the controversial Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.
In a ruling released Friday, the Ninth Circuit affirmed an August 2016 ruling by the U.S District Court of Arizona on all issues.
The 22-mile freeway will provide a direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and an alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.
Major construction on the South Mountain Freeway began early this year, and progress is evident throughout the entire 22-mile corridor. In Ahwatukee Foothills, interchanges are taking shape at 17th Avenue and 40th Street. In Laveen, crews are building two half-mile-long bridges that will provide a much-needed grade separated crossing over the Salt River. In the West Valley, the skyline is changing daily along Interstate 10 as work continues to create an interchange connecting with the South Mountain Freeway at 59th Avenue, including several flyover ramps.