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