The Stack is a
colloquialism
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...
used to describe the symmetrical, four-level
stack interchange
A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges e ...
in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
that facilitates movements between
Interstate 17
Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-17's southern terminus lies in Phoenix, at I-10, and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Milton Road north of I-40.
Most of I-17 ...
/
U.S. Route 60 and
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
.
Description
In 2006, the Stack interchange saw an average of 235,000 cars pass through it daily on
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
eastbound and westbound; and an average of 120,000 cars on northbound and southbound
Interstate 17
Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-17's southern terminus lies in Phoenix, at I-10, and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Milton Road north of I-40.
Most of I-17 ...
. The interchange constitutes exit 200A on Interstate 17 and exits 143A and 143B on
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
. Access is provided in all directions and there are no direct
HOV lane
A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...
connections. Interstate 17 has two
frontage road
A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
s running both southbound and northbound through the interchange known as Black Canyon Highway.
US 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as Pacific Avenue, in the ...
runs concurrently with I-17 throughout this interchange.
History
The stack was the
Phoenix Metropolitan Area
The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...
and Arizona's first four-level
stack interchange
A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges e ...
upon its completion in 1990 and one of the last portions of I-10 in Arizona to be completed.
Congestion
In a 2007 study by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'', the Stack ranked number twelve in the United States in terms of delays with 16 million hours of delays each year. This is much better than the
Mini Stack
The Mini Stack is the freeway interchange among Interstate 10, State Route 51, and Loop 202 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, located northeast of downtown. Reconstructed in 2004 to its current setup, the interchange, which is the busiest in ...
, which logged 22 million hours of delays, the fourth-worst in the nation.
See also
*
Metropolitan Phoenix freeways
The metropolitan area of Phoenix in the U.S. state of Arizona contains one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing freeway systems, boasting over 1,405 lane miles (2,261 km) as of 2005 (this was before construction on the Loop 303 start ...
*
Mini Stack
The Mini Stack is the freeway interchange among Interstate 10, State Route 51, and Loop 202 in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, located northeast of downtown. Reconstructed in 2004 to its current setup, the interchange, which is the busiest in ...
*
SuperRedTan Interchange
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stack, The
Transportation buildings and structures in Phoenix, Arizona
Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona
Interstate 10
Road interchanges in the United States
U.S. Route 60