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Federal Grant to Help ADOT Alleviate Loop 101 Congestion

Drivers in the Valley of the Sun feel the pain of rush-hour every day while traveling on the 60-mile semi-beltway known as the AZ Loop 101.  The Loop 101 connects several Phoenix suburbs from Chandler to Scottsdale, Phoenix to Glendale, and Peoria to Tolleson on a continuous inner metropolitan loop.

Several expansions of the Loop 101 have been built-out in the beltway’s short history.  However, the number of cars traveling every day continues to grow while space and money to expand as well as the safety of drivers prevents further expansion in most cases.

ADOT and Phoenix Arizona are national leaders in deploying freeway management technology, and ADOT has just recently been awarded a $6M Federal grant to address the growing concerns of the Loop 101 congestion.


ADOT, alongside several Valley cities, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), applied for and was granted funds as part of the Federal Highway Administration’s Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment program.        

The Federal program takes freeway management technology to the next level with a Decision Support System that provides drivers with real-time traffic data and alternative routes.  Freeway closures are a significant upset for drivers commuting across town, and the new system will also help manage signal lights on major arterial and surface streets when alternative freeways are not available. 

ADOT is also planning on developing a mobile app that exchanges real-time data with the regional transportation networks, like the Metro, and the people who use mass transit.  Valley mass transit vehicles will also be equipped with the new technology to assist riders.

Maricopa County and the Phoenix metro area continues to grow, and while the everyday rush-hour becomes increasingly more tedious, Phoenix is also a hot spot for hosting major national events.  In 2015, Glendale hosted the Super Bowl while Scottsdale hosted the annual Waste Management Open on the very same weekend.  Valley freeways were no match for the sheer number of drivers the two national events introduced, but the Decision Support System and the Loop 101 Mobile Project aim to help alleviate this type of congestion as well as the congestion from daily driving.

ADOT and Valley agencies have identified $27M in funding for the project and when combined with the $6M from the Federal grant, will pay for the new Loop 101 Mobile Project.  Drivers on Arizona’s busiest freeway can expect to see ADOT action over the next four years.