With new Pecos Road homeowners angry and construction costs rising, the South
Mountain Freeway has become a case study in what happens when right-of-way is
not protected. By 1985, the MAG Regional Council had identified a Pecos Road
alignment for this important regional freeway connecting the I-10 with Loop 202.
By 1988, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) had completed its
Environmental Assessment and Design Concept Report, which clearly identified the
Pecos Road alignment and determined that no structures were located in
the path of the future freeway.
ADOT began to purchase right-of-way at that time but, due to funding
shortfalls, the project was delayed and additional right-of-way purchases were
put on hold. Despite the delay, the South Mountain Freeway remained an integral
part of the long-range plan for the Regional Freeway System approved by voters
in 1985 and again in 2004.
Now, because 217 homes have been constructed in the path of the freeway since
the alignment was studied, approved and publicized 23 years ago, nearby
residents are trying to persuade the Gila River Indian Community to allow the
South Mountain Freeway to be constructed on tribal land. Should the Community
decide it is open to placing the South Mountain Freeway on the reservation, this
viable alternative should be explored. However, if the Indian Community isn’t
interested, we need to accept this answer and move forward with the project.
Although the developers were exercising their property rights and could not
be prohibited from building homes in the freeway alignment, the right-of-way
should still be acquired and construction should move forward on the Pecos Road
alignment. With more than 6 million area residents projected by the year 2030,
the South Mountain leg is a critical part of our regional freeway system.
MAG estimates show the new freeway will cut travel times, including shaving
more than 50 minutes off a rush-hour round-trip commute from the Williams
Gateway Regional Job Center to Goodyear Airport. But Ahwatukee residents are
likely to benefit most from the freeway, through shorter commute times and
increased property values as the subdivision is freed from its stigma as "the
world’s largest cul-de-sac." Once the South Mountain Freeway is built, the
Ahwatukee resident who works at Metrocenter will not only get home 25 minutes
faster, but so will his neighbors, as the South Mountain Freeway will alleviate
traffic on arterial streets in Chandler, Tempe and Phoenix.
In the years to come, the success of our region will depend upon our ability
to continue to efficiently move people and goods through the Valley. High
quality employers cannot afford to have their employees or products perpetually
stranded in traffic. Moreover, the passage of Prop 400 in 2004 sent a clear
message that residents throughout the Valley are eager to build the
infrastructure necessary to maintain their quality of life. The South Mountain
Freeway should be built as planned and right-of-way for future regional freeway
projects should be secured now.
