Arizona State Route 51
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Arizona State Highway 51 (AZ-51) is the Piestewa Freeway in Phoenix, Arizona connecting Interstate 10 in downtown Phoenix and Arizona Loop 101 beltway on the north side of Phoenix. It is a largely north-south route and is named for a park which it traverses, the Piestewa Peak Recreation Area. Rapid growth of the east side of greater Phoenix made it necessary for the traffic needs of the area.
The original seven miles of the freeway were built by the City of Phoenix in 1987 and later turned over to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Since then, it has been extended to the current alignment and retrofitted with rubberized asphalt, standardized signage, new general purpose lanes, and a high occupancy vehicle lane.
The decorative pots mounted on top of the noise mitigation walls were a source of controversy at the time of their installation due to cost and aesthetics, etc. One resident installed a gold toilet in protest.
The freeway was once named the Squaw Peak Parkway. The name, perceived as a derogatory term for Native American women, had caused ADOT to quietly remove the official term for a few years until Lori Piestewa was killed in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The freeway and the mountain were renamed after her on March 1, 2003.
AZ-51 was once the lowest-numbered state highway in Arizona, but this distinction now belongs to Arizona State Highway 48, near Prescott. Both violate the old rule that Arizona had no state highway numbers below "60". AZ-51 was originally planned as an Interstate 510 but has never been numbered as such at any stage of completion. The number "51" is, of course, "510" without the final zero.
External links
- SR51 (http://www.sr51.com/), maintained by ADOT
- Piestewa Freeway (http://www.arizonaroads.com/urban/piestewa.html) from Arizona Roads (http://www.arizonaroads.com/)
- AZ 51 (http://www.arizonaroads.com/arizona/az51.html), also from Arizona Roads
- Official State Route 51 construction schedule (http://www.dot.state.az.us/Highways/RFS/sr51/sr51schedule.asp)