"The Stack" (I-17/US 60/I-10 Interchange in Phoenix)

Circumstance had me flying by one of the more infamous road features in Arizona; "The Stack" interchange for I-17, US 60 and I-10.

The Stack is a four-level interchange west of downtown Phoenix which was one of the last parts of I-10 to open in Arizona in 1990. Previous to the completion of the Deck Park Tunnel and Stack the route of I-10 through downtown Phoenix was a contentious issue. The section of I-10 through downtown Phoenix was known as the Papago Freeway. The original plans for I-10 in downtown Phoenix called for an elevated structure that was largely despised locally. During the 1970s local opposition to the elevated Papago Freeway was spurred by campaigns by the Arizona Republic which led to a bill that defeated the construction of the elevated freeway through downtown Phoenix. In 1983 plans for the Deck Park Tunnel was approved which as stated above opened in 1990 with the Stack interchange.

Arizonaroads.com has a stub article which shows pamphlet information regarding the elevated Papago Freeway.

arizonaroads.com on the Papago Freeway

The route of I-17 west of downtown Phoenix was actually part of the current Arizona State Route 69 which has existed since 1938. Originally AZ 69 took 43rd Avenue from north US 60/US 70/US 89 on Grand Avenue. AZ 69 was moved to a new alignment on 25th Avenue by 1950 according to Arizonaroads.com, said alignment can be seen on the 1951 State Highway Map.

arizonaroads.com on AZ 69

1951 State Highway Map

AZ 69 in the Phoenix Area was built to freeway standards between Buckeye Road north past Northern Avenuesome time between 1956 and 1961 which is known as the Black Canyon Freeway can be seen on the two maps below.

1956 State Highway Map

1961 State Highway Map Phoenix Insert

By the early 1970s the southern half of AZ had become I-17. Only a short stub of I-10 had been built past the I-17 interchange east of downtown Phoenix which can be seen on this 1971 City Insert below.

1971 State Highway Map City Insert

As I-10 was being built through downtown Phoenix it had a temporary alignment on I-17 to the location of the modern Stack. In time US 70, US 80 and US 89 were removed from the Phoenix Area while US 60 was routed on a multiplex of I-10 to I-17. US 60 currently multiplexes I-17 to the Stack before splitting away at Grand Avenue.

Comments

Paper Highways: The Unbuilt New Orleans Bypass (Proposed I-410)

There are many examples around the United States of proposed freeway corridors in urban areas that never saw the light of day for one reason or another. They all fall somewhere in between the little-known and the infamous and from the mundane to the spectacular. One of the more obscure and interesting examples of such a project is the short-lived idea to construct a southern beltway for the New Orleans metropolitan area in the 1960s and 70s. Greater New Orleans and its surrounding area grew rapidly in the years after World War II, as suburban sprawl encroached on the historically rural downriver parishes around the city. In response to the development of the region’s Westbank and the emergence of communities in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist Parishes as viable suburban communities during this period, regional planners began to consider concepts for new infrastructure projects to serve this growing population. The idea for a circular freeway around the southern perimeter of t

Hernando de Soto Bridge (Memphis, TN)

The newest of the bridges that span the lower Mississippi River at Memphis, the Hernando de Soto Bridge was completed in 1973 and carries Interstate 40 between downtown Memphis and West Memphis, AR. The bridge’s signature M-shaped superstructure makes it an instantly recognizable landmark in the city and one of the most visually unique bridges on the Mississippi River. As early as 1953, Memphis city planners recommended the construction of a second highway bridge across the Mississippi River to connect the city with West Memphis, AR. The Memphis & Arkansas Bridge had been completed only four years earlier a couple miles downriver from downtown, however it was expected that long-term growth in the metro area would warrant the construction of an additional bridge, the fourth crossing of the Mississippi River to be built at Memphis, in the not-too-distant future. Unlike the previous three Mississippi River bridges to be built the city, the location chosen for this bridge was about two

Huey P. Long Bridge (New Orleans, LA)

Located on the lower Mississippi River a few miles west of New Orleans, the Huey P. Long Bridge is an enormous steel truss bridge that carries both road and rail traffic on an old-time structure that is a fascinating example of a bridge that has evolved in recent years to meet the traffic and safety demands of modern times. While officially located in suburban Jefferson Parish near the unincorporated community of Bridge City, this bridge’s location is most often associated with New Orleans, given that it’s the largest and most recognizable incorporated population center in the nearby vicinity. For this reason, this blog article considers the bridge’s location to be in New Orleans, even though this isn’t 100% geographically correct. Completed in 1935 as the first bridge across the Mississippi River in Louisiana and the first to be built in the New Orleans area, this bridge is one of two bridges on the Mississippi named for Huey P. Long, a Louisiana politician who served as the 40th Gove

Gribblenation

Search This Blog