| Highways
| |
| | (including an exit serving the historic
|
| Main interstate routes include I-17, and
| |
| | Mission San Xavier) and the retirement
|
| I-19 running north-south, I-40, I-8, and
| |
| | community of Green Valley and terminates
|
| I-10 running east-west, and a short
| |
| | in Nogales, in Santa Cruz County, at the
|
| stretch of I-15 running northeast
| |
| | international border with Mexico.
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| southwest through the extreme
| |
| | Destination signs on I-19 have metric
|
| northwestern corner of the state.
| |
| | distance figures in kilometers instead of
|
| Phoenix
| |
| | standard miles. Arizona 77 serves North
|
| Phoenix is served by a network of
| |
| | Tucson and Tucson's northern suburbs
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| freeways, many of which were initiated by
| |
| | including Casas Adobes, Catalina
|
| a 1 cent general sales tax measure
| |
| | Foothills, Oro Valley, and Catalina.
|
| approved by voters in 1985. Before this
| |
| | Arizona 77 continues northward until it
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| network, I-10 and I-17 handled almost all
| |
| | terminates at the Navajo Indian
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| freeway traffic in Phoenix, placing a
| |
| | Reservation in northeastern Arizona.
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| large burden on surface arterial streets,
| |
| | State Route 210 (Barraza-Aviation
|
| leading to increased traffic congestion
| |
| | Parkway) is a limited-access parkway
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| as the area grew in size.
| |
| | built in the early 1990s to connect
|
| I-10 (the Maricopa and Papago Freeways)
| |
| | downtown Tucson to the southeastern
|
| from Los Angeles travels from the west
| |
| | portion of the city. Few new
|
| through downtown, and exits the metro
| |
| | limited-access roads are in the plans in
|
| area in a southeast direction toward
| |
| | Tucson due to strong community opposition
|
| Tucson. I-17 (the Black Canyon Freeway)
| |
| | to freeways.
|
| begins in downtown Phoenix and travels
| |
| | Yuma, Flagstaff & Casa Grande
|
| north to Flagstaff. US 60 also travels
| |
| | Yuma and Casa Grande are served by I-8;
|
| through the heart of the city, starting
| |
| | Flagstaff is served by I-17 and I-40. US
|
| in downtown Phoenix, and heading
| |
| | Highway 95 parallels the Colorado River,
|
| northwest through the suburbs of
| |
| | from Las Vegas to the Mexican border near
|
| Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise. To the
| |
| | Yuma.
|
| east, it is called the Superstition
| |
| | Historic U.S. Route 66, a major route for
|
| Freeway, and from its beginning in Tempe,
| |
| | Midwestern emigrants prior to the advent
|
| travels eastward towards Mesa, Gilbert,
| |
| | of the interstate highway system,
|
| and Apache Junction, and beyond. State
| |
| | traversed the northern part of the state,
|
| Route Loop 101 (called the Agua Fria,
| |
| | passing through Flagstaff and Kingman.
|
| Price, or Pima Freeway, depending on the
| |
| | Route 66 in Arizona closely followed the
|
| segment) is also a major highway that
| |
| | route of what is now Interstate 40 except
|
| forms a semicircle around the northern
| |
| | for an 88 mile stretch between Seligman
|
| suburbs of the city, starting from I-10
| |
| | and Kingman now known as Arizona State
|
| in the west and travelling around to the
| |
| | Highway 66, where the route veered to the
|
| Santan portion of Loop 202 in the
| |
| | north passing through Peach Springs.
|
| southeast.
| |
| | Public transportation and intercity bus
|
| The new freeways started after the 1985
| |
| | The Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas
|
| sales tax approval are: Arizona 51, Loop
| |
| | are served by public bus transit systems.
|
| 101, Arizona 143 (the Hohokam
| |
| | Yuma and Flagstaff also have public bus
|
| Expressway), Arizona 153 (the Sky Harbor
| |
| | systems. Greyhound Lines serves Phoenix,
|
| Expressway), Loop 202 (the Red Mountain
| |
| | Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and several
|
| and Santan Freeways), and Loop 303 (the
| |
| | smaller communities statewide.
|
| Estrella Freeway), and the final section
| |
| | A light rail system is currently being
|
| of I-10. Most of these have been
| |
| | built in Phoenix. When completed, it will
|
| completed by 2005, with Loop 202 and Loop
| |
| | connect Central Phoenix with the nearby
|
| 303 being in the final stages of
| |
| | cities of Mesa and Tempe. The system is
|
| construction and development.
| |
| | projected to be operational by December
|
| Arizona 51 (the Piestewa Freeway)
| |
| | of 2008.
|
| connects downtown and central Phoenix
| |
| | In May 2006, voters in Tucson approved a
|
| with north Phoenix and Paradise Valley,
| |
| | Regional Transportation Plan (a
|
| and connects with the aforementioned Loop
| |
| | comprehensive bus transit/streetcar
|
| 101 at its northern end. Two-thirds of
| |
| | roadway improvement program), and its
|
| this route was opened in 1999 and the
| |
| | funding via a new half-cent sales tax
|
| remainder in 2003. It had been known as
| |
| | increment. The centerpiece of the plan is
|
| the Squaw Peak Parkway (for a nearby
| |
| | a light rail streetcar system that will
|
| mountain), but this name was considered
| |
| | connect the main University of Arizona
|
| offensive to those in the Native American
| |
| | campus with the Rio Nuevo master plan
|
| community. Both the road and the mountain
| |
| | area on the western edge of downtown.
|
| were re-named in the spring of 2003 for
| |
| | Aviation
|
| US Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, a member of
| |
| | Airports with regularly scheduled
|
| the Hopi tribe, the first woman to die in
| |
| | commercial flights include: Phoenix Sky
|
| combat during the current Iraq War and
| |
| | Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX,
|
| the first Native American woman to die in
| |
| | ICAO: KPHX) in Phoenix (the largest
|
| combat while in the US Army. This
| |
| | airport and the major international
|
| resulted in the freeway being referred to
| |
| | airport in the state); Tucson
|
| as "The 51" instead of "Squaw Peak
| |
| | International Airport (IATA: TUS, ICAO:
|
| Parkway" in casual conversation.
| |
| | KTUS) in Tucson; Yuma International
|
| As recently as 1959, many roads such as
| |
| | Airport (IATA: YUM, ICAO: KYUM) in Yuma;
|
| State Highway 87, the Beeline Highway
| |
| | Prescott Municipal Airport (PRC) in
|
| between Phoenix and the small community
| |
| | Prescott; and Flagstaff Pulliam Airport
|
| of Payson in Gila County, were unpaved.
| |
| | (IATA: FLG, ICAO: KFLG) in Flagstaff.
|
| Tucson
| |
| | Other significant airports without
|
| The Tucson metropolitan area is primarily
| |
| | regularly scheduled commercial flights
|
| served by I-10, I-19 and Arizona 77. I-19
| |
| | include Williams Gateway Airport (IWA) in
|
| departs from I-10 in the southern part of
| |
| | Mesa, and Scottsdale Municipal Airport
|
| Tucson, runs through southern Tucson
| |
| | (IATA: SCF, ICAO: KSDL) in Scottsdale.
|
