Skip to main content

Arizona chooses consortium for its largest-ever highway project

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has selected Connect 202 Partners as the preferred developer for its first highway public-private partnership, the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. The consortium includes Fluor Enterprises, Granite Construction and Ames Construction, with Parsons Brinckerhoff as the lead designer. The South Mountain Freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction - three general-use lanes and one HOV lane - and includes modern features including rubberised
January 4, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The 6576 Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has selected Connect 202 Partners as the preferred developer for its first highway public-private partnership, the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.  The consortium includes 2248 Fluor Enterprises, 7973 Granite Construction and Ames Construction, with 4983 Parsons Brinckerhoff as the lead designer.

The South Mountain Freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction - three general-use lanes and one HOV lane - and includes modern features including rubberised asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community.

While the freeway will not be a toll road, the public-private partnership will allow ADOT to construct the project at an accelerated pace and at a lower cost.

This public-private partnership will reduce costs to taxpayers while accelerating construction. Typically, a project of this magnitude would be split into several smaller projects, but the South Mountain Freeway will be completed as a single project by one contracting team and remains on track for construction to begin in summer 2016. ADOT is expected to finalise the contract with Connect 202 Partners by mid-February. Construction is expected to take up to four years to complete.

“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,” ADOT director John Halikowski said. “ADOT will be able to complete this much-needed project sooner as a result, while increasing the likelihood of saving taxpayer dollars.”

“The South Mountain Freeway is a critical piece of the MAG freeway program,” said Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane, chair of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Council. “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.”
UTC

Related Content

  • December 10, 2015
    Phoenix rises to the Smart City challenge
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at the City of Phoenix where voters backed a $30bn plan to revamp its transportation network to cultivate a more connected community. According to a Land Use Institute study, half of all Americans and even more millennials (63%) would like to live in a place where they do not need to use a car very often. The City of Phoenix is putting in place plans to revamp its urban development and transportation policies to meet these changing quality of life perceptions.
  • May 10, 2018
    STV selected to design Massachusetts rail extension
    Transport design firm STV has been chosen as lead designer for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA’s) $1.3bn Green Line Light Rail Extension (GLX). MBTA expects the 4.3 mile expanded route to reduce up to 26,000 regional daily vehicle miles travelled, improving air quality and reducing congestion. Once completed, the increased line will provide commuters in Cambridge, Somerville and Medford with journeys to downtown Boston. Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the se
  • March 4, 2015
    Consortium to build Finnish motorway
    The Finnish Transport Agency has appointed a consortium of Meridiam Infrastructure and YIT Rakennus as the service provider which will build the E18 Hamina–Vaalimaa motorway in Finland on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. Construction will commence in autumn 2015 and the entire motorway is estimated to be completed in 2018. The consortium will be responsible for financing of the project, as well as planning, construction and maintenance for a period of 20 years. The E18 Hamina–Vaalimaa project compr
  • December 14, 2015
    Atkins named lead designer for major freeway project in Nevada
    Atkins North America is to play a key role in the development of a freeway that aims to boost safety, mobility and accessibility in Las Vegas. Considered the most important and ambitious project in Nevada Department of Transportation's (NDOT) history, it also accommodates regional economic redevelopment through improved access to downtown Las Vegas and the Resort Corridor. As design lead on the team led by Kiewit Infrastructure West, Atkins will manage all design and engineering services for NDOT’s Pr