Editor’s note: This is part one of a continuing summer series on the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway.

It was a small turnout with a lot of passion at the Protecting Arizona’s Resources and Children (PARC) meeting on Saturday, May 11.

Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has finally been released by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on the proposed South Mountain Freeway Loop 202 expansion, we can start doing a feasibility check on the proposed freeway.

Now that the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the proposed South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway expansion has been released, local environmentalists are planning to use the 90-day comment period to tear it apart.

Several freeway-improvement projects in the Phoenix area will require closures this weekend (May 3-5), according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and consider alternate routes while the following freeway closures are in place this weekend:

The Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) for the South Mountain Freeway was released on April 26, but as the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to study putting the freeway down Pecos Road a group of Gila River Indian Community Landowners are stuck waiting for answers as their initiative — which could make it possible for the freeway to go on tribal land — is stalled by the Tribal Council.

The Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program is updated each year and serves as a blueprint that details where, when and how funding will be spent over the next five years to improve our state’s transportation infrastructure. The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to gather public comments on the tentative 2014-2018 program. There are three scenarios that are being considered for implementation, and all three scenarios are available for public comment.

The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Study for the South Mountain Loop 202 Freeway will be released today and available for review and comment over the next 90 days.

It has been three years since members of the South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team (SMCAT) got together, but on Monday the group will reconvene to discuss air quality before the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS).

Arizona cities that want to place or keep photo enforcement cameras on state roads are going to have to prove they do more than generate fines.

The Arizona Department of Transportation cautions drivers to be prepared for blowing dust today.

There’s still time for the public to give comment on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Tentative five-year plan.

Every day, emergency and public safety crews put their lives on the line to help motorists stranded along highways. Tragically, crashes involving emergency and other vehicles that are pulled over along highway shoulders claim hundreds of lives across the country each year.

A bill approved by the state House Monday could eventually force the removal of some of the most controversial red light and photo radar cameras in the state.

Attorneys for Gov. Jan Brewer told a federal judge Monday there is no legal basis to order the state to immediately provide driver's licenses to certain illegal immigrants immediately since they are not being harmed.

At three public meetings this week anti-freeway demonstrators spoke out about the possible Loop 202 extension through South Mountain, citing environmental and cultural impacts the freeway would have on the surrounding area.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is working on finalizing an update to its Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, which was first established in 2003.

United Blood Services has announced an urgent need for donors with O-, A-, B-, AB- and O+ blood types.

John Halikowski, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, has been appointed to the prestigious Transportation Research Board Subcommittee for National Research Council Oversight, a post he will maintain until 2016.

Drivers should anticipate lengthy delays on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande through the afternoon commute because of a serious crash involving hazardous materials, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The highway’s westbound lanes are closed north of Casa Grande, but significant backups have been observed in both directions on this major travel corridor.

Developers with Lennar Homes have their sights on one more empty plot on the edge of Ahwatukee Foothills.

The proposed Loop 202 extension through Ahwatukee Foothills or the Gila River Indian Community would have destructive impacts on the land and the people, according to speakers at “The Price of Progress,” a panel discussion at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

If you’re among the thousands of Arizonans who will be using state highways over the Thanksgiving weekend, there’s good news about your travel plans.

A new report published by the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Research Center titled “Land Use and Traffic Congestion,” found that residents of some higher-density neighborhoods in the Phoenix metropolitan area drive substantially less than similar residents who live in lower-density and automobile-dependent suburban neighborhoods.