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AZ 101 Shield

Loop 101

State Route 101 is the first of the 3 highways that "loop" around the Phoenix area. The posted directions change between North/South and East/West as the loop direction changes. Despite being called loops, the highways aren't actually full loops. Loop 202 is now the closest to a full loop with the South Mountain extension.


Length: 61 miles
Existed since: 1988
Current Route: I-10 in Tolleson to Loop 202 in Chandler
Major Junctions: I-10, US 60, I-17, AZ 51, Loop 202


Cool Features

The Loop 101 has three different names along its route. The first section between I-10 and I-17 is the Agua Fria Freeway. Between I-17 and the Red Mountain Loop 202 it's the Pima Freeway. Lastly, between the Red Mountain and Santan Loop 202, the 101 is the Price Freeway.

Colored AZ 101 ShieldAll of the loop highways were originally signed with uniquely colored route shields; the 101's being blue. However, due to the Loop 202's poorly chosen brown shield that faded easily and that it was seemingly hard for contractors to get the colored signage correct in general, the colored shields were phased out.

Colored AZ 101 Shield
8/16/2021 - One of the few remaining colored loop shields at Pima & Thomas Roads in Scottsdale.

Related Routes

SR 117 & SR 417

Originally, Loop 101 was proposed as State Route 417 from Maricopa County Route 85 to I-17 and State Route 117 from I-17 to the then proposed SR 220, now the Loop 202 Santan. Loop 101 was actually built pretty much the same as the map below shows, although the little segment between MC 85 and I-10 was never built.

1986 Proposed Phoenix Freeways
A map of the proposed freeways for the Phoenix area in 1986 from the 1986 State Highway System log. Click to enlarge.

Pictures


Exit List

Exit/
Mile
Clockwise Exits
Read down
Counterclockwise Exits
Read up
Agua Fria Freeway
1A WEST
Los Angeles
1B EAST
Phoenix
2 McDowell Rd
3 Thomas Rd Thomas Rd
4 Indian School Rd Indian School Rd
5 Camelback Rd Camelback Rd
6 Cardinals Way Cardinals Way
7A ◊ HOV EXIT
Maryland Ave
◊ HOV EXIT
Maryland Ave
LEFT EXIT LEFT EXIT
7B Glendale Ave
Luke AFB
Glendale Airport
Glendale Ave
Luke AFB
Glendale Airport
8 Northern Ave Northern Ave
Zoo & Aquarium Zoo & Aquarium
9 Olive Ave
Glendale Comm College
El Mirage
Olive Ave
Glendale Comm College
El Mirage
White Tank Mtn Park White Tank Mtn Park
10 Peoria Ave
Youngtown
Peoria Ave
Youngtown
11 TO
Grand Ave
Kingman
Las Vegas
Surprise
91st Ave
TO TO
TO Grand Ave
Kingman
Las Vegas
Surprise
12 Thunderbird Rd
Arizona State University
West Campus
Thunderbird Rd
Arizona State University
West Campus
Peoria Veterans Memorial Peoria Veterans Memorial
14 Bell Rd Bell Rd
Surprise Stadium
Peoria Sports Complex
Surprise Stadium
Peoria Sports Complex
15 Union Hills Dr
Signed as North/South
Signed as East/West
16 Beardsley Rd
Union Hills Dr
17 75th Ave 75th Ave
18 67th Ave 67th Ave
19 59th Ave 59th Ave
20 51st Ave 51st Ave
22 35th Ave
23A 27th Ave 27th Ave
23B NORTH
Flagstaff
NORTH
Flagstaff
23C SOUTH
Phoenix
SOUTH
Phoenix
Agua Fria Freeway
Pima Freeway
24 19th Ave
25 7th Ave 7th Ave
26 7th St 7th St
28 Cave Creek Rd Cave Creek Rd
29 SOUTH SOUTH
◊ HOV EXIT
SOUTH
LEFT EXIT
31 Tatum Blvd Tatum Blvd
32 56th St 56th St
33 64th St 64th St
34 Scottsdale Rd
Carefree
Airport
Scottsdale Rd
Carefree
Scottsdale Airport
35 Hayden Rd Hayden Rd
Signed as West/East
Signed as South/North
36 Princess Dr
Pima Rd
Bell Rd
Westworld
Princess Dr
Pima Rd
38 Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd
Bell Rd
Westworld
39 Raintree Dr
Thunderbird Rd
Raintree Dr
40 Cactus Rd Cactus Rd
Frank Lloyd Wright's Home & Studio -
Taliesin West World Heritage Site
Frank Lloyd Wright's Home & Studio -
Taliesin West World Heritage Site
41 Shea Blvd
Fountain Hills
Shea Blvd
Fountain Hills
42 Pima Rd - 90th St Pima Rd
90th St
43 Via De Ventura Via De Ventura
44 Talking Stick Way
Indian Bend Rd
Talking Stick Way
Indian Bend Rd
45 McDonald Dr McDonald Dr
46 Chaparral Rd
Scottsdale Comm College
Chaparral Rd
Scottsdale Comm College
47 Indian School Rd
Downtown Scottsdale
Civic Center
Indian School Rd
Downtown Scottsdale
Civic Center
48 Thomas Rd Thomas Rd
49 McDowell Rd McDowell Rd
50 McKellips Rd McKellips Rd
51 EAST WEST WEST EAST
Pima Freeway
Price Freeway
52 Rio Salado Pkwy
University Dr
Apache Blvd
University Dr
Rio Salado Pkwy
53 Broadway Rd Broadway Rd
54 Southern Ave
Baseline Rd
55A EAST
Globe
EAST
Globe
55B WEST
Phoenix
WEST
Phoenix
55C Basline Rd
Southern Ave
56 Guadalupe Rd Guadalupe Rd
57 Elliot Rd Elliot Rd
58 Warner Rd Warner Rd
59 Ray Rd Ray Rd
60 Chandler Blvd
61A Price Rd
61B WEST
61C EAST
◊ HOV EXIT
EAST
LEFT EXIT
Price Freeway

Page last updated: 9/9/2023