WEST VALLEY - Pressure is mounting for a decision on the South Mountain Freeway's western alignment.

At a meeting last week of the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team, the Arizona Department of Transportation asked the citizens group to make its recommendation by late January on one of three preferred alignments for the western leg.

Several members said they still lacked information critical to an informed decision, and questioned what they called a sudden deadline imposition.  

"I don't understand why, after three years, all of a sudden in the last three months everything has to end," said David Lafferty, who represents Tolleson on the advisory team. "I want to know what's going on. Something's happening."

What's happening, ADOT officials said, is that the long-delayed proposed freeway has caused a backlog on other transportation and development projects crucial to state and local governments.

In the rapidly expanding West Valley, the future of the South Mountain Freeway has "absolutely" been the sticking point on a number of development projects stymied by uncertainty over the freeway's location, said ADOT spokesman Matt Burdick.

ADOT has at least five freeway construction or expansion projects in planning stages now whose progress is in some way contingent on the South Mountain Freeway western leg alignment, Burdick said.

ADOT has proposed connecting Interstate 10 to the southern leg of Loop 202 through 55th Avenue, 71st Avenue or Loop 101.

With the one-year anniversary approaching of the passage of Proposition 400, the half-cent sales tax voters approved in November to fund 20 years' worth of transportation projects, local governments are getting anxious to see work move ahead.

Though representatives of cities affected by the freeway said they also want to see the project move forward, many questioned the group's ability to adequately digest the bulk of technical information it will receive in coming months.

The group will receive 22 technical reports in the next two and a half months. Though the rushed timetable has frustrated some team members, many said they were also anxious to see progress on Loop 202.

"The sooner we have a plan and put it in place, the better, because of the explosive growth in the West Valley," said Jim Buster of Avondale.