The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway continues taking shape with the installation of bridge girders, together weighing more than two Boeing 747 jets, at the future interchange with 17th Avenue in the Ahwatukee Foothills.

The girders are the first placed for the Arizona Department of Transportation's South Mountain Freeway project, which will require a total of nearly 1,100 girders on 40 bridge structures throughout the 22-mi.-long corridor.

During three overnight closures for the work completed the weekend of July 8 to 9 at 17th Avenue, two 450-ton cranes lifted and placed each of the 17 steel-reinforced concrete girders, which are 145 ft. long and weigh up to 131,000 lbs. Each girder took about an hour to hoist and place.

Crews will return in August to pour concrete to form the bridge deck.

With girder placement complete at the 17th Avenue interchange, crews are set to place 16 girders at the 40th Street overpass, also in the Pecos corridor.

Overnight closures of 40th Street between Briarwood Terrace and Pecos Road were needed July 10 to 12, to place bridge girders for the 40th Street interchange.

The South Mountain Freeway, which is scheduled to open in late 2019, will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985 and again in 2004 as part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan, it will complete the Loop 202 and Loop 101 freeway system.

For more information, visit SouthMountainFreeway.com.