MAG News

Getting to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and other Southeast Valley communities will soon get easier, as work gets underway on the Gateway Freeway, an interim freeway section of State Route 24 (SR 24).

Construction will begin this fall on approximately five miles of new roadway extending from Ellsworth Road to Ironwood Drive. The corridor will improve transportation options among Apache Junction, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek, which are located in Maricopa and Pinal counties in the Southeast Valley.

The new interim facility will help serve the transportation needs of the region. 

“This new freeway section will promote economic development by linking key economic activity centers sooner rather than later, supporting our community and employment growth,” said Mesa Councilmember David Luna, chair of the MAG Economic Development Committee. “It will help connect significant commercial and residential development planned in southeastern Maricopa County and northern Pinal County.”

The new section of SR 24 will begin at the existing Ellsworth Road intersection and will have two lanes in each direction separated by a median. The project includes:

• Grade separated traffic interchanges at Ellsworth Road and Mountain Road.
• At grade intersections at Williams Field, Signal Butte, Meridian and Ironwood roads. 
• Drainage channel on the north side of the alignment.
• Freeway Management System elements that use technology to improve traffic flow. These include electrical conduit, fiber optic cable, pull boxes, closed circuit cameras and poles, and control cabinets. 

The segment follows the completion of Phase I in 2014, which opened the segment of freeway between Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) and Ellsworth Road. 

For a visual representation of the project, visit the ADOT website.