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| US 60 Superstition Freeway | |
|---|---|
| State | AZ |
| Type | US |
| Route | 60 |
| Alternate name | Superstition Freeway |
| Length mi | 22.6 |
| Established | 1970s |
| Direction a | West |
| Terminus a | Interstate 10 |
| Junction | Arizona State Route 143, Loop 202 Arizona State Route 202, SR 143 |
| Direction b | East |
| Terminus b | Wickenburg (continuation as U.S. Route 60) |
| Counties | Maricopa County |
US 60 Superstition Freeway is a controlled-access segment of U.S. Route 60 serving the eastern Phoenix metropolitan area and connecting central Maricopa County to suburban communities and regional facilities. The corridor links major facilities such as Phoenix Sky Harbor, Mesa, Tempe, and the Tonto National Forest gateway, and functions as an arterial for commuter traffic between Downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the East Valley. Built and maintained through cooperation among the Arizona Department of Transportation, federal agencies, and local jurisdictions, the freeway has influenced urban development, transit planning, and environmental deliberations across multiple administrations and planning cycles.
The freeway begins near Interstate 10 close to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, proceeds east through Tempe adjacent to the Arizona State University campus and the Salt River corridor, then continues into Mesa passing near Mesa Community College, Superstition Springs Center, and industrial nodes before ascending toward the Superstition Mountains foothills and transitioning to rural pavement toward Globe and Wickenburg. The alignment intersects urban arterials including Arizona State Route 143, Loop 202 Arizona State Route 202, and provides connections to regional transit hubs such as Valley Metro Rail stations and park-and-ride facilities coordinated with Maricopa Association of Governments planning. The corridor traverses multiple jurisdictions—Phoenix, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa—and skirts environmental features like the Salt River floodplain and riparian habitats near the Tonto National Forest boundary.
The route follows historic corridors used since territorial-era Arizona Territory settlements and early 20th-century auto trails connecting Phoenix to Globe and Tucson; it supplanted portions of the prewar U.S. Highway System alignments and interurban roads developed during the Automobile Age. Planning in the mid-20th century involved agencies including the Arizona State Highway Department and federal entities under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, with routing decisions influenced by municipal plans from Phoenix City Council and county guidance from Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The Superstition Freeway name reflects proximity to the Superstition Mountains and regional branding adopted during the expansion phases overseen by successive Arizona governors and transportation directors, while adjacent land use transitioned under zoning ordinances enacted by Mesa City Council and Tempe City Council.
Initial controlled-access construction occurred in stages from the late 1960s through the 1980s, with major contracts awarded by the Arizona Department of Transportation and engineering firms working under federal funding formulas tied to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 for later improvements. Upgrades have included lane additions, interchange reconstructions at Loop 202 and Arizona State Route 143, seismic retrofits near overpasses, and pavement rehabilitations coordinated with Federal Highway Administration standards and environmental studies submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency. Projects such as widened sections through Mesa integrated utility relocations negotiated with Salt River Project and right-of-way acquisitions mediated by the Maricopa County Recorder and municipal planning departments. Transit-related modifications incorporated bus-only ramps and multimodal access consistent with Valley Metro operations and regional transit frameworks.
The corridor carries heavy commuter volumes and freight movements linking Interstate 10 freight routes to industrial zones in Maricopa County, producing recurring congestion near major interchanges and peak-hour bottlenecks documented by the Arizona Department of Transportation traffic counts and studies overseen by the Maricopa Association of Governments. Safety initiatives have targeted high-crash segments identified in analyses by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and implemented engineering countermeasures borrowed from Highway Safety Manual recommendations, including ramp redesigns, improved illumination, and median barrier installations in collaboration with municipal traffic engineers from Phoenix Police Department and Mesa Police Department. Incident response coordination involves Arizona Department of Public Safety and local fire departments; recurring concerns include collisions near the Salt River crossing and chain-reaction crashes during monsoon-season storms tracked by the National Weather Service.
Key junctions include the western terminus at Interstate 10, connections to Arizona State Route 143, interchange with Loop 202 Arizona State Route 202 (Red Mountain Freeway), access to SR 87 toward Show Low and Payson via collector routes, and eastern transitions toward Wickenburg and Globe. Intermodal transfer points link to Valley Metro Rail at Tempe Transit Center and park-and-ride facilities coordinated with Maricopa County Department of Transportation. Freight access nodes connect to rail yards served by Union Pacific Railroad and industrial spurs in Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community-adjacent areas.
The freeway stimulated suburban expansion in Mesa and the East Valley, influencing commercial centers such as Superstition Springs Center and office parks developed under incentives from the Mesa Economic Development Department. Controversies include environmental disputes over riparian impacts near the Salt River and Tonto National Forest edge, litigation involving right-of-way takings adjudicated in county courts, and public opposition to certain interchange designs voiced at hearings before the Phoenix City Council and Arizona Department of Transportation board meetings. Debates also engaged transit advocates from Valley Metro and regional planners at Maricopa Association of Governments who argued for bus-rapid transit or rail investment versus roadway capacity expansion.
Planned initiatives consider managed lanes, interchange upgrades at congested nodes with funding sought through federal discretionary grants administered by the Federal Highway Administration and state programs managed by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Proposals from regional planners at the Maricopa Association of Governments include integration with Valley Metro service expansions, park-and-ride enhancements, and multimodal corridors connecting to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ground transportation facilities. Environmental reviews and public consultations scheduled with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and municipal councils aim to balance mobility improvements with habitat conservation near the Superstition Wilderness boundary.
Category:Roads in Arizona