Arizona Department of Transportation

11/22/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 11/22/2024 06:11

How some Loop 101 Price Freeway cross streets got their names

We move onto the Loop 101 Price Freeway for yet another installment of "How highway cross streets got their names."

Loop 101 first openedin Glendale in 1988 and it wasn't until 14 years later and 17 different sections, the entire 61-mile freeway was completed.

We have something planned for the other portions of Loop 101 (Agua Fria and Pima) but we decided to focus on the East Valley portion this time.

And this is what we found:

Chandler Boulevard: Chandler Boulevard is named after the City of Chandler. The city is named after Dr. Alexander John Chandler (known as A.J. Chandler), who founded the town site in 1912. He was the Arizona territory's first state veterinarian.

Ray Road: Ray Road is named for Milton and Gwen Ray. Milton's family owned a farm between Gilbert and Cooper Roads. Gwen was an artist and nominated for the Arizona Mother of the Year award in 1953.

Warner Road: Warner Road is named after Samuel Warner and Lydia Warner. Samuel was an Indiana native who served on the Kyrene Governing Board from 1916 to 1919, while Lydia's family owned land in the area.

Elliot Road: Elliot Road is named after the Elliot Family, who owned landin the area.

Guadalupe Road: In our research we couldn't find a definitive origin of how this street was named, but we suspect it comes from the town of Guadalupe, of which this street passes through

Baseline Road: Baseline Road is named for being the baseline of the Gila and Salt River Meridian Survey in 1851. The "base line" was used in developing the Valley's street grid system.

US 60: A highway that travels from Brenda, Ariz., to Virginia Beach, Va. The highway is more than 2,600 miles long.

Southern Avenue: Southern Avenue spans the Valley, running from Buckeye to Apache Junction. We suspect it got its name because it is south of central Phoenix, but our research did not come up with a definitive origin.

Broadway Road: Broadway Road is named for Noah M. Broadway,a Maricopa County sheriff from 1885-86. He was a Civil War veteran and farmer.

University Drive:University Drive travels through Arizona State University in Tempe.

Rio Salado Parkway: Rio Salado Parkway is named after the nearby Salt River - "Rio Salado" is Spanish for "Salt River."

Loop 202 Red Mountain: The Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway gets its name from Red Mountain, a prominent landmark in the East Valley that sits just north of the Salt River.