Time to get real about freeway

Ahwatukee Foothills News
11-16-05
Editorial

There is no doubt that frustration will be among the emotions carried into this week's presentation about the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway proposal along Pecos Road.

And while it is counterproductive, the frustration is justified for a number of reasons, including:

* The length of time this community has waited for a decision on Pecos Road's role in the freeway plan.

* The fact that even though Pecos Road has long been the proposed route, no official decision has been made.

* The announcement that homes will be destroyed to accommodate the freeway.

* The inability of city and state leaders to strike an agreement with the Gila River Indian Community to build the freeway on their land, or to stop it from being built along Pecos Road.

It's understandable that people will be a bit angry about this plan, but residents need to do their best to put that aside and concentrate on what they can reasonably achieve at the meeting.

The reality of the situation for Ahwatukee Foothills is this:

* Without an agreement from the Gila River Indian Community, there is no other place for this freeway than Pecos Road.

* The state will need an agreement from the Indian Community by the fall of 2006 if an alternative to Pecos Road is to be found.

* The freeway is a necessary addition to the Valley's overall transit system for both the immediate and long-term future.

The South Mountain Freeway along Pecos Road is no small matter, and residents ought to put their energy into changes that can be made. It is planned at three lanes in either direction, with individual fourth lanes added in the future along with HOV lanes. It could have up to five interchanges, be built at or below ground level and include sound-dampening features. Residents might not be able to determine where the freeway will be built, but they certainly can get their two cents in now by telling ADOT how they want this loop constructed so it has a minimal impact on individuals, schools and neighborhoods.

There is little doubt that ADOT could have done a better job with this project. Pecos Road has been on the books since the mid-1980s as the proposed route, and yet no progress has been made on building it even though houses and businesses have sprung up near the road. To ADOT's credit, however, a proposal to add on- and off-ramps at 32nd Street ­ necessitating the destruction of about 100 homes ­ has been dropped on account of opposition from the public and city. Even though that leaves up to 200 homes still facing the bulldozer, the decision indicates ADOT is willing to make changes.

The situation certainly is not a pleasant one for residents here to deal with, which makes it all the more important for them to attend the meeting, learn about the project and make their thoughts known to ADOT so when it comes time to pour concrete, Ahwatukee Foothills gets the quietest, safest, least intrusive stretch of highway the Valley has ever seen.

The public meeting will be held noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, in the Grace Inn at Ahwatukee, 10831 S. 51st St.

­ Ahwatukee Foothills News editor John Conway can be reached at (480) 898-7910.