Public-private partnership to build South Mountain Freeway in Arizona

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently developed a public-private partnership to construct the new Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which crews will start to build the summer of 2016.

The highway is the largest project that has ever been proposed for Arizona. It is also the first highway public-private partnership that the state has seen.

“While ADOT has successfully built and managed hundreds of miles of freeways in the Phoenix metropolitan area, following a public-private partnership path for the first time was an appropriate tool for the South Mountain Freeway,” John Halikowski, ADOT director, said. “ADOT will be able to complete this much-needed project sooner as a result, while increasing the likelihood of saving taxpayer dollars.”

The freeway will not be used as a toll road. Instead, thanks to the partnership, ADOT can build the freeway at a faster pace and within a reduced budget.

“The South Mountain Freeway is a critical piece of the MAG freeway program,” Scottsdale Mayor W.J. “Jim” Lane, chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council, said. “The freeway has been included in the voter-approved Regional Transportation Plan since 1985 and will provide improved mobility for residents in the MAG region. The design, construction and maintenance of the freeway by a private developer is a unique and innovative approach to delivering this important project.”