By Dan McCarthy
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PHOENIX – Several large Arizona Department of Transportation projects are set to begin along Valley freeways in 2026, including the first funded by Proposition 479.

Progress also will be made during the new year on two Proposition 400-funded widening projects along Loop 101 and Loop 202.

Some examples: the $129 million Loop 303 improvement project in north Phoenix will begin in January, Loop 101 widening work in Scottsdale will be substantially completed early next year, and Loop 202 work in Chandler and Gilbert will continue and get ready for a 2027 opening, according to ADOT.

“In the near term, and with the support voters provided in 2024, MAG (Maricopa Association of Governments) is looking forward to having ADOT start work on the project to widen Loop 303 between I-17 and 51st Avenue in north Phoenix starting by late January,” ADOT spokesman Doug Nintzel said.

“I'm sure a lot of drivers are looking forward to direct freeway-to-freeway ramps replacing the current traffic-signal interchange at I-17 and Loop 303.”

Proposition 479 money, approve by voters in 2024, also will pay for several other improvements, including those involving State Route 30 and widening State Route 347.

“These projects, and the more than 1,000 miles of new or improved streets, will help the region keep one of the best commute times for large cities in the U.S. to an average of 30 minutes into 2050, even with added population and job growth,” MAG Assistant Executive Director John Bullen said.

“That is shorter than the current averages for Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Seattle.” 

The biggest new project undertaken will be Loop 303 improvement work between Interstate 17 and 51^st Avenue. It will add direct freeway-to-freeway ramps at the I-17/Loop 303 interchange in north Phoenix.

Crews also will widen Loop 303 to three lanes in each direction from I-17 west to 51st Avenue, ADOT officials said.

Paid for using the half-cent sales tax that voters favored in 2024, it is scheduled to start in late January and be completed in 2028. 

A separate Loop 303 widening project from 51^st Avenue to Lake Pleasant Parkway is also funded by Prop 479.  Work will occur west of the larger Loop 303 effort, but it also will widen the road to three lanes in each direction and add other improvements, state officials said.

There are other projects that will not have as much impact Valleywide as the Loop 303 work or the multi-year Broadway Curve improvement effort that was completed last year.

But they matter to specific regions, Nintzel said.

“No doubt interest in transportation infrastructure is often local,” he said.

“So, it's hard to say which project will have the most impact here in the Valley. We're especially looking forward to a continuation of the work to get the Loop 202 widening in Chandler and Gilbert and the Loop 101 expansion west of I-17 in the Northwest Valley closer to their scheduled completions in 2027.”

Here's a closer look at those projects

Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) Widening Project (Loop 101 to Val Vista Drive): The $200 million Loop 202 widening project from Loop 101 to Val Vista Drive in Chandler and Gilbert is adding two lanes in each direction between Loop 101 and Gilbert Road. One lane in each direction will be added between Gilbert Road and Val Vista Drive. Freeway bridges are being widened. Work began in August 2024 and is scheduled for completion in spring 2027.  

Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) Widening Project (I-17 to 75th Avenue): In the Northwest Valley, crews will continue work to build new lanes in each direction along 6.5 miles of Loop 101 from I-17 to 75^th Avenue. Other improvements are being made along freeway frontage roads. Another southbound 75th Avenue turn lane to eastbound Loop 101 will be added. The $140 million project started in September 2024 and is scheduled for completion in spring 2027.

“Something that will receive a lot more attention in the new year will be the widening of I-10 between Chandler (Loop 202) and Casa Grande,” Nintzel said.

Building a third lane in each direction will involve a series of projects, he said.

“So, if you use I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson, it's certainly something to watch for.”

Here are other 2026 projects:

• Loop 101 widening Shea Boulevard to Princess Drive: New north- and southbound lanes along 4.5 miles of Loop 101 opened in November as part of a $108 million project in Scottsdale. Construction began in January 2024. “Substantial completion is scheduled in early 2026,” ADOT officials stated in a release. A separate project to improve the Loop 101 pavement surface during overnight restrictions (Shea to Princess) is scheduled to start in the spring.
• Loop 303 improvement project (Van Buren Street to Maricopa County 85): The West Valley project will construct Loop 303 along 4 miles of the Cotton Lane corridor, providing three lanes in each direction between Van Buren Street and Lower Buckeye Road. Crews also will build two lanes in each direction between Lower Buckeye Road and MC 85, according to ADOT. The four-year project is scheduled to start by mid-2026.
• I-10/Loop 101 interchange in the West Valley: A new elevated bridge will be added to carry HOV lanes between the two freeways (to and from the downtown Phoenix area). The project will widen both I-10 and Loop 101 near the existing interchange. A separate ramp will be built to allow southbound Loop 101 drivers to make a direct connection to 91st Avenue south of I-10. Work is expected to start this spring and take approximately three years to complete, ADOT officials said.

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Dan McCarthy
Web content

dmccarthy@iniusa.org

Meet Dan
Dan McCarthy joined Independent Newsmedia as web content editor after a 40-plus year career as a reporter and editor in New Jersey and Arizona. During his time in Arizona, he has been an editor of daily and weekly papers in Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Ahwatukee, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise, Peoria and Glendale. Prior to moving to Arizona in 1984, when he was hired to be assistant city editor at the Tempe Daily News, he covered regional police/fire news, municipal, county and state governments in New Jersey, the latter as bureau chief at the state Capitol.

Community: He has served on several boards over the years, including the Tempe Community Action Agency and the Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital Board of Governors. He is a graduate of the Tempe Leadership and Scottsdale Leadership programs, serving as media adviser for subsequent classes of Tempe Leadership.

Education: Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. 

Random Fact: Set winter/summer track records in the 60-, 100- and 220-yard dashes at his high school in New Jersey. 

Hobbies: Tai chi, cooking, dining at his must-eat-once places around the U.S. and the Cincinnati Reds, his favorite team since 1961.