Two sections of pavement along Loop 202 Santan Freeway are much smoother to drive on following an Arizona Department of Transportation improvement project.

Crews worked in recent weeks to remove the worn top layer of rubberized asphalt along most of the eastbound Loop 202 lanes between Interstate 10 and Loop 101 Price Freeway, according to a release.

Specialized machines, which include rotating diamond-tipped blades, smoothed the remaining concrete base pavement in a process known as diamond grinding.

The pavement improvements also were done along eastbound on- and off-ramps at the Kyrene Road and McClintock Drive interchanges. The contractor used as many as three diamond grinding machines to save time as the work progressed on weekends and weeknights since late February.

Diamond grinding also was done along the westbound Loop 202’s right lanes and exit ramp approaching Kyrene Road. Those lanes and ramp also had especially worn rubberized asphalt that had been in place for more than 15 years.

ADOT will make additional pavement improvements along Loop 202 east of I-10 in April, the release states.

As has been done on a number of other Valley freeways in recent years, an asphalt seal will be placed on the remaining rubberized asphalt in that area to extend the life of that existing pavement.

That fog seal work, which is to be scheduled during April, will require a closure of westbound Loop 202 between Loop 101 and I-10.