Phoenix Freeway Numbering (Before 1986 on Proposed Freeways)

[Concrete Bob]

I've been reading this board religiously for years, but have only
recently started posting here. Discussions regarding the Phoenix
freeway system are as common here as rain in Seattle in December (and
rightfully so !!). I'm a fellow roadgeek who has been following the
development of Phoenix freeways since the 1970s.

I have a question on the proposed and subsequently cancelled Paradise
Freeway. After 1986, I believe ADOT assigned the proposed freeway as SR
50. The freeway had been on the books since 1960. Did ADOT have a
different route number assigned to the Paradise Freeway prior to 1986?
I know at one time it was planned to run across the entire developed
area of Phoenix, roughly 3-4 miles north of the existing Papago and Red
Mountain Freeways.

Back on May 27 1997, Richard Moeur (an ADOT employee--therefore a
pretty trustworthy source) provided a summary here on mtr of the
numbering scheme ADOT had prior to the 1985 passage of Propostion 300:

The present SR 51 was SR 510 (and I-510 before that).

The current SR 101-L was AZ 417 (from I-10 to I-17 - Agua Fria
Section). Current SR 101-L was previously AZ 117 from I-17 to its end
at the Santan Freeway (Pima and Price Freeway Sections).

The current SR 202-L was AZ 217 (from I-10 east to AZ 143). The current
SR 202-L was AZ 216 from SR 143 to the Superstion Freeway in East Mesa.
SR-202-L was AZ 220 from the Superstion Freeway to I-10. The remaining
section of the current SR 202-L (Future South Mountain) was previously
SR 218.

So, can any of you help out a fellow roadgeek with a rather obscure
question on the Paradise Freeway?

[James W Anderson]

One more for the record, there was an atlas I saw in the airport down
there that had L202 as being SR 301 also at one point, especially the
section then being built from I-10/SR-51 to the SR-143

Never saw the SR-50 number except here. SR-50 was supposed to have run
a little south down at Glendale, then they switched it up to Northern
where it would have ended at SR-51, there's a partial interchange for
it still standing at Northern, but that is not all that obvious. The
EB lanes of Northern turn into NB SR-51, and the SB 51 to WB 50 ramp
was built. That explains it's length.

.

[Michael]

somewhere I have one of the original "Phoenix Freeway Maps" that they
published in connection with MAG and the freeway sales tax. That ADOT
produced map showed the Paradise Pkwy as AZ-50. After the Fife plan cut
back the system funded by the tax, the next map had AZ-50 removed.
That's the version that's on http://www.arizonaroads.com .

mt