AIR

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of Phoenix, a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's main international airport and one of the largest aviation facilities in the American Southwest. Currently, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the ninth busiest airport in the United States in terms of traffic.

Sky Harbor has been operating under its current name since prior to 1935, when it was purchased by the City of Phoenix. In the 1950s it was serviced by four airline companies. Today, the airport is the home base for Tempe-based US Airways, and is also the third-largest departure point for Southwest Ailines, the airport's second largest operator. Since beginning service in 1982 Southwest has grown to capture more than 34 percent of the market share. Since 1990, Southwest traffic from PHX has increased more than 352 percent.

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 20,315,544 commercial passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2005 and 20,591,906 enplanements in 2006.

In 2006, the airport served 41.4 million passengers, making it the eighth busiest in the United States, and eighteenth busiest airport in the world, in terms of passengers. Currently, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the eight busiest airport in the United States in terms of traffic, and the eighteenth in the world with 41,439,819 passengers passing through the airport in 2006; a 0.5% change from 2005. On a daily basis the airport handles 1,486 aircraft that arrive and depart, along with 108,887 passengers daily. Sky Harbor has grown so rapidly that Phoenix is in the process of utilizing Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa as a secondary airport.

Sky Harbor's private airplane area also serves as one of eight service centers for the Medevac airline Air Evac.

Other Phoenix Airports

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Public transportation throughout the metropolitan area is provided by Valley Metro, which operates a system of buses and a rideshare program. Valley Metro is currently building Valley Metro Rail, a light rail project, which is scheduled for completion in 2008. As of 2004 (when Houston started running its METRORail), Phoenix has been the largest US city devoid of a rail transit system. Interest has also been expressed in Phoenix and several neighboring cities for the creation of a commuter rail system operating on existing railroad lines.

Amtrak no longer serves Phoenix Union Station; Phoenix is the largest city in the United States with no intercity passenger rail service. The Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle stop three times a week at Maricopa, thirty miles south of downtown Phoenix. (For shuttle and other travel information, see the Texas Eagle site). Amtrak Thruway buses connect Sky Harbor to Flagstaff for connection with the daily Southwest Chief service to Los Angeles and Chicago. Phoenix is served by Greyhound bus service, with the station at 24th Street located near the airport.

• Arizona Department of Transportation

Provides info on construction projects, as well as general highway information and the motor vehicle division.

• Phoenix Rapid Bus Service

The local bus system, provides maps, route info, and more.

• Phoenix Public Transit Department

Operates the bus system and provides an overview of all area transit related information.

• Amtrak Trains

Main web site for this national train carrier provides info on routes, schedules, and fares.

Major streets

The street system in Phoenix is laid out in a traditional grid system, with most roads oriented either North-South or East-West. The zero point is the intersection of Central Avenue and Washington Street. Numbered Avenues run north-south west of Central; numbered Streets run north-south east of Central. Major arterial streets are spaced one mile apart. The one-mile blocks are divided into approximately 800 house numbers, although this varies. Scottsdale Road, being 7200 East, is approximately 7200 / 800 = 9 miles east of Central. The Valley Metro bus numbers are also based on this numbering system, with the Central Avenue bus being Route Zero, and Scottsdale Road being Route 72.

Freeways and expressways

• I-10 (the Maricopa and Papago Freeways) from Los Angeles travels from the west into downtown and exits to the southeast towards Tucson. It connects numerous cities:
  • Buckeye
  • Goodyear
  • Avondale
  • Phoenix
  • Tempe
  • Chandler
    
    
• I-17 (the Black Canyon Freeway) begins in downtown Phoenix and travels north to Flagstaff. It connects several metro area places:
  • Phoenix
  • North Phoenix
  • Anthem
    
    
• SR 51 is a freeway beginning near downtown Phoenix and heading north, connecting:
  • Phoenix
  • Paradise Valley
  • North Phoenix
    
    
• US 60 also travels through the heart of the city, heading northwest as Grand Avenue and and east of downtown as the Superstition Freeway. US 60 connects:
  • Surprise
  • Peoria
  • Glendale
  • Phoenix
  • Tempe
  • Mesa
  • Gilbert
  • Apache Junction
    
    
• Loop 101 (the Agua Fria, Price, and Pima Freeways) is also a major highway that forms a semicircle around the suburbs of:
  • Glendale
  • Peoria
  • North Phoenix
  • Scottsdale
  • Tempe
  • Chandler
    
    
• Loop 202 forms another semicircle around the eastern suburbs connecting:
  • Tempe
  • Mesa
  • Gilbert
  • Chandler
    
    
• Loop 303 is in planning/construction phases as a freeway forming a semicircle around the western suburbs, including:
  • Peoria
  • Surprise
  • Buckeye
  • Goodyear

Phoenix has been rapidly expanding its highway system. In 1985, voters passed a proposition establishing a ½ cent general sales tax to fund new urban freeways: The 51 (Piestewa Freeway), the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway/Pima Freeway/Price Freeway), the 143 (the Hohokam Expressway), the 153 (the Sky Harbor Expressway), the Loop 202 (the Red Mountain and Santan Freeways), and the Loop 303 (the Estrella Freeway), and the final section of the I-10. Most of these have been completed by 2005, with the Loop 202 and the Loop 303 being in the final stages of construction and development.

Because Phoenix freeways were funded primarily by local sales tax dollars rather than federal money, newer freeways are given state route designation rather than Interstate designation. Phoenix is the largest city in the United States to have no 3-digit Interstates.

Other modes

Bicycle transportation is also an option, and the Maricopa Association of Governments has a bicycle advisory committee working to improve conditions for bicycling on city streets as well as off-road paths.