Strife in the fast lane

S. Mountain Freeway foes grow larger, louder vs. proposed path

The Arizona Republic
Dec. 31, 2005 

The South Mountain Freeway zoomed to the top of the headlines in 2005, sparking debate across the Valley and galvanizing opposition in Ahwatukee Foothills.

After two decades of debate and doubt over the project's future, the Arizona Department of Transportation released in October the most detailed look yet at the proposed $1 billion freeway's path through the West Valley, South Mountain Park and Ahwatukee. The maps - a series of aerial photographs so detailed viewers could see the individual homes in the proposed freeway's alignment - made more real a plan that has been hotly debated in Ahwatukee for years.

A November open house hosted by ADOT at the Grace Inn drew 2,100 people, more than four times the combined attendance of two previous West Valley meetings. Most were against the freeway and its possible effects on Ahwatukee, where 255 to 685 homes could be lost depending on where and how the road is built. Citizen groups have formed in protest to the 22- to 26-mile stretch of Loop 202.