Chandler's traffic patterns are set for a shift as the Arizona Department of Transportation begins a new phase of its Loop 202 improvement efforts, with the eastbound Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) off-ramp at Arizona Avenue closing for about two months starting late Thursday, Oct. 9 at 11:30 p.m., as part of an ongoing project aimed at widening the freeway and enhancing interchange functionality in the Southeast Valley, according to an announcement on the ADOT website.
Travelers are advised to plan and use alternate routes, such as exiting at Alma School or McQueen roads during the closure, which is expected to last until mid-December, this move comes along with the reopening of the westbound Loop 202 off-ramp at Price Road, which happened earlier on Tuesday, Oct. 7, after similar reconstruction work kept it out of commission for two months.
Funded partly through Proposition 400, a half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters back in 2004, the Loop 202 Improvement Project bears the financial weight of $200 million, with its auspices tucked under the Regional Transportation Plan overseen by the Maricopa Association of Governments which acts as the metropolitan planning organization for the Greater Phoenix region, targeting an 8-mile stretch of freeway linking the Loop 101 (Price Freeway) to Val Vista Drive that traverses through Chandler and Gilbert.
The length of the closure, clocking in at approximately 60 days, is to allow time for the complete reconstruction of the off-ramp, which is a key component of the overall project designed to alleviate congestion and improve traffic flow for Valley commuters—the completion of which, along with the previously mentioned ramp at Price Road, symbolizes tangible progress in the effort to enhance the transportation infrastructure in one of the area's most bustling corridors.
