Jan 10, 2003
Now's Your Chance!

In celebration of the opening, ADOT and the City of Mesa will sponsor a
free public event from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 11. The event,
which will feature entertainment and displays from vendors and exhibitors,
this is a terrific opportunity for families to run, skate or ride their
bicycles on the freeway before it opens. To access the event, residents
should enter the freeway from Higley Road.

Below is the entire NOTICE:

Partnership opens new leg of Red Mountain Freeway five years ahead of schedule.

Thanks to a partnership between the City of Mesa, local businesses, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Maricopa Association of Governments, the Greenfield to Higley section of the Red Mountain Freeway will open early Monday morning, Jan. 13?—five years ahead of the original 2008 projected completion date.

In addition to new access at Higley Road, the opening also will provide access to newly constructed on- and off-ramps at Val Vista Drive.
?“The successful acceleration of this project will really help relieve traffic congestion in north Mesa, as well as boost economic development efforts around Falcon Field Airport,?” said Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker. ?“With more than 600,000 Mesa residents projected by the year 2025, the only way we?’re going to be able to keep Mesa moving is to keep projects like this moving forward through forming innovative partnerships and by supporting an extension of the existing regional transportation half-cent sales tax.?”

In celebration of the opening, ADOT and the City of Mesa will sponsor a free public event from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 11. The event, which will feature entertainment and displays from vendors and exhibitors, is a terrific opportunity for families to run, skate or ride their bicycles on the freeway before it opens. To access the event, residents should enter the freeway from Higley Road.

To prepare for the opening of the new segment, the Red Mountain Freeway will be closed at Gilbert beginning late Friday evening, Jan. 10, to stripe lanes and update signs. Residents are reminded that previous freeway openings have shown unusually heavy traffic congestion the first week after opening as drivers explore new routes. As with past openings, the traffic volume is expected to level off thereafter. Additionally, lane restrictions remain on Power and Recker roads for ongoing construction projects. Greenfield and Higley roads are recommended alternatives for southbound traffic.

For more information, call the City of Mesa at (480) 644-3800 or ADOT at (602) 712-7355.

By Renee Coelho