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AZ 202 Shield

Loop 202

State Route 202 is the second of the 3 highways that "loop" around the Phoenix area. The posted directions change between East/West and North/South 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: 78 miles
Existed since: 1990
Current Route: I-10/AZ 51 in Phoenix to I-10 in West Phoenix
Major Junctions: I-10, AZ 51, AZ 143, Loop 101, AZ 87, US 60, AZ 24


Cool Features

The Loop 202 has three different names along its route. The first section between I-10/AZ 51 and US 60 is the Red Mountain Freeway. Between US 60 and I-10 in Chandler it's the Santan Freeway. Lastly, between I-10 in Chandler and in West Phoenix, the 202 is the Congressman Ed Pastor (South Mountain) Freeway.

Colored AZ 101 ShieldAll of the loop highways were originally signed with uniquely colored route shields; the 202's being brown. However, due to this brown shield being very vulnerable to fading 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 202 Shields
Google Maps - These were possibly the last remaining colored shields for Loop 202, however they have been replaced as of sometime in 2020.
Colored AZ 202 Shields
10/23/2021 - New Loop 202 shields on the old button copy signage.

Related Routes

SR 202 Spur

Loop 202 has an unsigned spur route that runs from the east end of Sky Harbor Airport to the Loop 202.

SR 216, SR 217, SR 218, & SR 220

Originally, Loop 202 was proposed as State Route 217 from I-10 in Central Phoenix to Loop 101 (then proposed SR 417), SR 216 from SR 417 to SR 360 (now US 60), SR 220 from SR 360 to I-10 in Chandler/Ahwatukee, and finally from there up to I-10 in West Phoenix as SR 218. This proposal is somewhat similar to how Loop 202 actually turned out, thankfully for the better without 4 different number designations and instead with 1 number and 3 names to help distinguish each section. Now, the SR 216 & 217 segments are the Red Mountain segment of Loop 202, SR 220 is the Santan segment, and SR 218 is the South Mountain segment.

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
Red Mountain Freeway
1A
WEST
Los Angeles
EAST
Tucson
NORTH
◊ HOV EXIT
WEST
1B 24th St 24th St
1C 32nd St 32nd St
2 40th St
44th St
44th St
3
McDowell Rd SOUTH
Washington St
4 Van Buren St
52nd St
Van Buren St
52nd St
Phoenix Zoo
Botanical Garden
Phoenix Zoo
Botanical Garden
5 TO SOUTH
Sky Harbor Airport
6 Priest Dr
Center Pkwy
Downtown Tempe
Center Pkwy
Priest Dr
Downtown Tempe
7 Scottsdale Rd
Rural Rd
Arizona State University - Tempe
Scottsdale Rd
Rural Rd
Arizona State University - Tempe
8 McClintock Dr
Hazardous Materials Must Exit
9 NORTH SOUTH SOUTH NORTH
10 Dobson Rd Dobson Rd
11 Alma School Rd Alma School Rd
12 McKellips Rd
13
Country Club Dr
Payson

Country Club Dr
Payson
16 Gilbert Rd
McDowell Rd
McDowell Rd
Gilbert Rd
19 Val Vista Dr Val Vista Dr
20 Greenfield Rd
Falcon Field Airport
Greenfield Rd
Falcon Field Airport
21 Higley Rd Higley Rd
22 Recker Rd Recker Rd
23A Power Rd
Signed as East/West
Signed as South/North
23B McDowell Rd
24 McKellips Rd
Mesa Comm College
Red Mountain Campus
McKellips Rd
Mesa Comm College
Red Mountain Campus
26 Brown Rd Brown Rd
27 University Dr
Apache Tr - Main St
University Dr
28 Broadway Rd Broadway Rd
Main St - Apache Tr
30A EAST
Phoenix
EAST
Phoenix
30B WEST
Globe
WEST
Globe
Red Mountain Freeway
Santan Freeway
31 Baseline Rd
32 Guadalupe Rd Guadalupe Rd
33 Elliot Rd Elliot Rd
34A EAST
Ellsworth Rd
EAST
Ellsworth Rd
Signed as South/North
Signed as West/East
34B Hawes Rd
Gateway Airport
Hawes Rd
36 Power Rd
Arizona State Univ - Polytechnic
CGCC - Williams
Power Rd
Gateway Airport
Arizona State Univ - Polytechnic
CGCC - Williams
38 Higley Rd Higley Rd
40 Williams Field Rd
Arizona State University
Polytechnic Campus
Williams Field Rd
Arizona State University
Polytechnic Campus
41 Santan Village Pkwy
42 Val Vista Dr Val Vista Dr
43 Lindsay Rd Lindsay Rd
44 Gilbert Rd
Chandler - Gilbert
Comm College
Pecos Campus
Gilbert Rd
Chandler - Gilbert
Comm College
Pecos Campus
45 Cooper Rd
Chandler Municipal Airport
Cooper Rd
Chandler Municipal Airport
46 McQueen Rd McQueen Rd
47 Jct
Arizona Ave

Arizona Ave
48 Alma School Rd Alma School Rd
49 Dobson Rd
50A NORTH NORTH
50B Price Rd Price Rd
50C ◊ HOV EXIT
NORTH
LEFT EXIT
51 McClintock Dr
Chandler Village Dr
53 Kyrene Rd Kyrene Rd
55A-B
EAST
Tucson
WEST
Phoenix
WEST
Phoenix
EAST
Tucson
55C ◊ HOV EXIT
WEST
LEFT EXIT
Santan Freeway
Congressman Ed Pastor (South Mountain) Freeway
56 40th St 40th St
57 32nd St 32nd St
58 24th St 24th St
60 Desert Foothills Pkwy Desert Foothills Pkwy
62 17th Ave 17th Ave
Signed as West/East
Signed as North/South
66 Vee Quiva Way Vee Quiva Way
68 Estrella Dr Estrella Dr
69 Elliot Rd Elliot Rd
70 Dobbins Rd Dobbins Rd
71 Baseline Rd Baseline Rd
72 Southern Ave Southern Ave
73 Broadway Rd Broadway Rd
74 Lower Buckeye Rd Lower Buckeye Rd
76 Buckeye Rd Buckeye Rd
77 Van Buren St
78A WEST
Los Angeles
78B EAST
Phoenix
◊ HOV EXIT
EAST
Congressman Ed Pastor (South Mountain) Freeway

Page last updated: 10/31/2023