Managing a Successful Mega-Project: Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway P3 in Phoenix

Alternative Delivery Approach Saved Time and Money 

The $1.7 billion Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway P3 connects the east and west valleys of the Phoenix metropolitan area and provides much-needed mobility along the city’s southwest quadrant. 

The largest single freeway project in Arizona history, it was completed using an innovative public-private partnership delivery method. The design-build-maintain agreement was a first for Arizona Department of Transportation and allowed the freeway to open three years earlier than if it had been built using a traditional approach, with a cost savings of more than $100 million. The consortium that completed the design and construction of the project will perform capital and routine maintenance on the project for 30 years.

ADOT selected HDR to serve as its general engineering consultant to support overall program management during project procurement, design and construction. The wide-ranging assignment meant tapping the resources of HDR’s global network of experts in design, permitting, strategic communications, economic analysis, project controls and more to provide a custom team that flexed to meet needs as they arose.

Learn how our diversified team of experts worked closely with ADOT daily to support the delivery of a successful program for the community and stakeholders involved.

“Before we selected the DBM team, ADOT set a goal to complete the Loop 202 before 2020,” said Ken Smith, our transportation program management director. “We knew it was aggressive for a 22-mile, billion-dollar program, yet we never lost sight of our vision to do what we set out to do in the beginning. It was critical to anticipate and resolve any challenges before they impacted our budget or schedule. Having the right resources, tools and experts available to quickly identify and implement solutions was the difference maker that made it happen.”