PHOENIX (AP) - A new freeway to allow commuters and long-distance travelers to avoid taking Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix opened Saturday.
The 22-mile (35-kilometers) South Mountain Freeway is part of the Loop 202 that circles much of metro Phoenix.
The new east-west route connects at both ends with I-10, on the east near the Chandler-Phoenix line and the Santa Tan Freeway and on the west in southwest Phoenix.
State officials held a celebration ceremony for the opening of the $1.7 billion freeway on Wednesday but it wasn’t opened for traffic until Saturday once last-minute work and inspections were completed.
Construction began in 2016.
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