Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway

Between 2015 and 2019, Geoquest USA contributed to the largest Arizona DOT project in history at the time. The project added 22 miles of new freeway on the southern outskirts of Phoenix. The expansion improved access to a fast-growing region and helped relieve congestion on the existing freeway system. 

Working closely with the design-build team, Geoquest helped optimize both design and construction schedules. Our team delivered 65 Reinforced Earth MSE walls and precast concrete facing panels for seven soil nail walls. These walls serve as bridge abutments and embankment walls along the entire corridor. In addition, they support traffic barrier, sound walls, electrical, drainage, and other infrastructure components.

In addition to MSE walls, Geoquest has long provided precast facing panels for permanent soil nail and other cut walls. The facing is offset from the cut wall, and the connections are designed based on the characteristics of the cut wall. The system is a popular choice when cast-in-place facing is not desired for aesthetics or construction time, or to create a consistent look with surrounding MSE walls.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s desert-themed architecture inspired the artwork featured on the walls. Wright had a camp in the area during the 1920s and often experimented with designs tied to the Arizona landscape. ADOT partnered with The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to shape the project’s aesthetics. The concrete wall facing, coping, and other elements of the structures were cast with custom patterns and painted in the field.