South Mountain Freeway advisory team meets next weekAhwatukee Foothills News The South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team will meet next week to discuss possible West Valley routes for the South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway. The meeting will be held at the Huhugam Heritage Center, 4795 N. Maricopa Road, on the Gila River Indian Community on Aug. 25, starting at 5:30 p.m. The advisory team was formed to advise the Arizona Department of Transportation as it reviews and updates a route for the South Mountain Freeway. Next week's meeting will focus on west-side routes near 71st Avenue and Interstate 10. The original 1988 route placed the freeway where Pecos Road now lies. That plan called for a highway stretching from I-10 near Ahwatukee Foothills, west around South Mountain then turning north to reconnect with I-10 at 51st Avenue. The new study has five options of where the freeway would connect to I-10 in the West Valley, but no alternative to building on Pecos Road has been found for the eastern portion of the proposed freeway. But discussions continue with the Gila River Indian Community about constructing the freeway south of Pecos Road. The advisory team agenda also includes discussion on traffic models and traffic projections into the year 2030. The advisory team will also take a tour of the Huhugam Heritage Center, which holds artifacts important to the Gila River Indian Community as well as artifacts uncovered during the construction of the Central Arizona Project canal. The reporter can be reached at (480) 898-7914 or by e-mail at dmurphy@aztrib.com.
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