The Arizona Department of Transportation said construction scheduled to begin soon on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway lays a foundation for linking the West and East Valleys by the end of 2019.

During the first half of 2017, crews will set foundations for some of the 40 bridges that will be built. Other projects set to begin soon include creating drainage structures and roadway embankments, moving utilities and extending more HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes west from the Loop 202 Santan Freeway.

This is the Arizona Department of Transportation’s all-time largest highway project. Detailed information on the upcoming projects and their impacts on traffic are available at southmountainfreeway.com. The site also allows visitors to sign up for project alerts.

Freeway construction is split into four segments: I-10 Papago between the I-10 Papago Freeway interchange at 59th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road; Salt River from Lower Buckeye Road to 51st Avenue near Estrella Drive; Center from 51st Avenue to 32nd Lane; and Pecos Road from 32nd Lane to the I-10/Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange.

In the next six months, construction begins in all but the Center segment. The Center project starts in mid-2018.

The South Mountain Freeway project wraps up the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system in the Valley.