I-17 North (AZ), Metro Phoenix North, Exit 214 at AZ Loop 101 to Exit 229

This video follows I-17 North through the North Valley area of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Includes a brief summary of the widening project that ADOT recently completed at a cost of approximately $142 million dollars.

[@JamieMK]

I absolutely LOVE this video. The music choice just works perfectly. It makes me look forward to when I can get to Phoenix and check out I-17 for myself!

[@PeteTheChopp]

Awesome Brent. I drove that stretch a lot back in 2006 when it was much more congested. It looks great now. Thanks for showing. I love the drive from PHX to Flagstaff.

[@ajbusters]

I drive that stretch of freeway everyday during work. They did a great job. Just recently added the walkway bridge south of the LOOP 303.

[@FreewayBrent]

It's not just Arizona, but Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana that have some nice speed limits. Especially fun is the hilly and curvaceous stretch of I-25, just south of Denver. A 75 MPH limit with 8 lanes and relatively heavy traffic. Wish I would see those 75 MPH limits, out here in Cali.

[@BryantandSMTC]

Yes Mr. FreewayBrent, My Pleasure. I Will Visit The I-17 Freeway Very Soon, When I Get Visit In Arizona. God Bless You.

[@FreewayBrent]

@GeoffJennyOliver: There are years in which the Phoenix metro area receives less than 3 inches of rain in an entire year, although usually the area will get somewhere between 7 and 11 inches in a given year. Pretty arid, indeed. Glad you enjoyed the track, too; Devo definitely did a great job with their new album.

[@NewBlueProductions]

Welcome back, FreewayBrent. A great return. I remember traveling this stretch back in '99 and definitely narrow compared to now.

[@GoJoGeoff]

.. really nice ride Brent - looks like a very arid area - love that track with it too - thanks ..

[@FreewayBrent]

@1943actros: Thank you! I had issues with my laptop for 2 1/2 months, without bothering to consider the ultimate reset option...detaching and reattaching the laptop battery.

[@FreewayBrent]

@lemonrind: Hi there. The red overpasses are sort of a recognition of the geology of the region, where red-colored rocks are very commonplace. And yes, Phoenix is probably one of the sunniest places on the planet.

[@james71]

nice i loved how you slowed down then picked it up for the music

[@InterstateKyle]

Good to see your back again Brent! Keep up the good work as always.

[@FreewayBrent]

@cjs121675: Glad you enjoyed, thanks for the comment!

[@FreewayBrent]

@NewBlueProductions: Not only narrow, but it was rather ugly/unpleasant from an aesthetic standpoint. The reconstructed I-17 not only address future capacity issues for the next 10/15 years, but looks a hell of a lot nicer, too. Thanks for watching!

[@georgiaroadgeek]

Another great one, dude! Thanks for all you do. :)

[@MrFreewaykeith]

Really Nice Video Brent i love the setting D.O.T was smart from 8 lanes to 6 lanes to 4 lanes down

[@rockersk08]

Strong returning vid! The modern aesthetic of that freeway is something that should be more widespread!

[@cjs121675]

Nice... I love these vids! Awesome freeway!

[@EdgeXXI]

Good to see you back on the road Brent. :)

[@FreewayBrent]

I probably filmed half the distance between Phoenix and Flagstaff, including the steepest grades. Forget the name of a particular grade, where they blasted off the side of a mountain to construct I-17.

[@FreewayBrent]

@willubhave2: In the Greater Phoenix area, the local residents have agreed to tax themselves with a quarter-penny sales tax to fund transportation improvements, which has proven to be very beneficial for the freeway network.

[@FreewayBrent]

Thanks!

[@utubesensationable]

Love the videos, Brent! Great work.

[@FreewayBrent]

Great, glad you enjoyed! It's a pretty neat freeway. If you're into large stack interchanges, you're in for a nice surprise at the I-10 interchange. But honestly, the REAL fun starts, once you head out of Phoenix. Some of the best and most interesting grades along the Interstate Highway System can be found, north of here.

[@FreewayBrent]

Hey man, it's nice to hear from you again. Thanks for the kind words; glad you enjoyed!

[@FreewayBrent]

@texacobigred42: You can find many other areas in the desert southwest with 75 MPH speed limits. I sure wish that were the case, out here on the west coast.

[@grvk]

Amazing straight stretch of freeway. This scenery is unseen here in Poland and probably in all of Europe too :)

[@FreewayBrent]

@PeteTheChopp: Oh yeah, it was totally outdated back then, and not particularly all that pleasant to drive. The job that ADOT did on this was GREAT.

[@aflutes1706]

@FreewayBrent Thanks for the info!

[@FreewayBrent]

@aflutes1706: 75 MPH is pretty commonplace in the Mountain West region, outside of the major cities. In fact, Utah now has a "test" 80 MPH section along some 30+ miles of I-15. I wish we would see more of this in the Midwest or along some stretches out on the east coast. It definitely helps to make long-distance driving feasible between the major cities.

[@Freewayjim]

@Sonkhmer I went through Wichita in 2007 and regret not filming it, you're right, the freeways are pretty cool, especially I-135.

[@Freewayjim]

Nice ride, ADOT did a really nice job with that stretch of road.

[@FreewayBrent]

@MrFreewaykeith: Yes, and the alignment works great, as there's more than enough capacity to allow for the gradual loss in the number of lanes. ADOT did a great job with this.

[@FreewayBrent]

Both stretches, actually. Perhaps these should be my next 2 videos?

[@FreewayBrent]

@BryantandSMTC: Do it! I'll admit, the stretches of I-17, north of this video, are MUCH more interesting, at least from a scenery standpoint. It includes one of the most treacherous grades along the entire Interstate Highway System, where engineers literally blasted off half a mountain, using dynamite.

[@THEJOKER440]

finally you uploaded a new video set and enjoy

[@IntuneGames]

hell yeah great job my friend

[@aflutes1706]

Wow 75 M.P.H I haven't heard of that great video

[@FreewayBrent]

@Freewayjim: Certainly a hell of a lot nicer than the old 2x2 alignment, which was not only outdated, but rather ugly too.

[@CurranSonSongs]

You should do Wichita, KS sometime, no one has ever done it before, they have cool freeways there too.

[@FreewayBrent]

@james71: Takes some time to coordinate the music and the video together, but the end result is pretty catchy. :-)

[@FreewayBrent]

@IntuneGames: Thanks!

[@Chalupas45]

2:35 LAKE PLEASANT!!!!!!!!!!!! lOVE IT!

[@FreewayBrent]

@InterstateKyle: Thanks, Kyle!

[@FreewayBrent]

@edgexxi: Thanks! I'm so glad to have my laptop back up and running again like a champ.

[@FreewayBrent]

@THEJOKER440: Yes, and more will be on the way, now that my laptop is back up and running like normal. Thanks for watching. :-)

[@FreewayBrent]

@glekka87: Thank you!

[@j12torts]

how the heck do u take such nice videos? what camera do you use??

[@FreewayBrent]

lol, I don't wanna be the one to rub it in Caltrans' face.

[@FreewayBrent]

Would you think I was lying, if I told you that I filmed this (and most of my releases over the past year), with a Flip Ultra 3rd generation camcorder? Yup, you can still find them brand new (the 8 GB version) for about $150 on amazon.com.

[@FreewayBrent]

@garysmithsbreasts404: Would love to, but can't really afford to go out that way anymore. I think there's enough coverage already, with FreewayJim, CosmoPhotography and others covering the eastern half of the U.S.

[@FreewayBrent]

@FreewayTitan: Thanks, man!

[@wesleytrollinger4013]

moving out there on feb 29 2016

[@FreewayBrent]

@Sonkhmer: Ya know, I've seen some Google Streetview images of the freeway system there, and it does indeed look pretty neat, especially for a mid-sized city out in the Great Plains region. I wouldn't mind getting out that way sometime, especially since Wichita is one of the few remaining cities in the US I haven't visited (I've only visited the cities along I-70, as well as Manhattan). I think you should hit up FreewayJim first, as he's prob a bit closer than I am to Wichita.

[@milewayroads]

I was on I-17 down to Anthem AZ

[@FreewayBrent]

@eluko79: Yeah, it's not a bad ride at all, especially when you consider the old 2x2 alignment. Yuck, that was no fun at all.

[@SossarHatarSverige]

Not a tree or palm as far as the eye can see, they should plant some Washingtonias by the raod.

[@jmvfrva]

At 3:05 in the vid, you're showing a number of signs. How did you obtain them for the vid?

[@JasonLee-wn3hr]

pretty kool

[@accebernosam]

what do you use to edit your videos?

[@BryantandSMTC]

Cool. I-17 Freeway. Someday When I Visit Arizona, I'll Go Cruising. Ha Ha!!!!

[@FreewayBrent]

@ScrewdUPClickV2: Hopefully soon enough...

[@FreewayBrent]

@jmvfrva: Research, research and more research. :-)

[@brandontran5910]

start Union Hills and Yorkshire exit to out of town wowww nice catch Union Hills Dr 18600 N Yorkshire Dr 19400 N

[@saladspinner3200]

@danie123182 Or you could say that their government spends MOST of their budget at road infrastructure rather than more usefull public services like education, health and leisure services....

[@FreewayBrent]

Yeah, they did a GREAT job, indeed. The old I-17 was not only inadequate for traffic levels, but rather plain ugly and boring to drive.

[@FreewayBrent]

@accebernosam: Hi there, I'll send you a message in private.