 TheScottsdale Spire, located in the southeast corner of Bell and Scottsdale Roads in Scottsdale, Arizona, designed byFrank Lloyd Wright. | |
| Namesake | Harvey Bell |
|---|---|
| Type | Arterial street |
| Owner | Maricopa County and the cities ofSurprise,Peoria,Glendale,Phoenix, andScottsdale |
| Length | 34.6 mi (55.7 km)[1] 1.4 mi (2.25 km) gap inScottsdale[1] |
| Location | Phoenix metropolitan area |
| West end | Sun Valley Parkway inSurprise 33°38′18″N112°27′36″W / 33.63833°N 112.46000°W /33.63833; -112.46000 |
| East end | McDowell Mountain Ranch Road in Scottsdale 33°38′20″N111°50′40″W / 33.63889°N 111.84444°W /33.63889; -111.84444 |
| North | Union Hills Drive (18600 North) |
| South | Greenway Road (15400 North) |
| Construction | |
| Completion | mid-1970s (present alignment)[2] |
Bell Road is a major east-west arterial road in the northernPhoenix, Arizona, metropolitan area.[3] It is one of the few roadways to cross theAgua Fria River in the northwestern part of the metro area, providing a vital link between the growing suburb ofSurprise with Phoenix. As a result, the portion of Bell Road passing through Surprise andSun City is the busiest arterial road in the state of Arizona.[4]
The road is named for farmer Harvey Bell, who, together with James Shea, formed in 1916 the Paradise Verde Irrigation District.[5][6]
The street lies at the 17000 North alignment of theMaricopa County grid system.[7] At its eastern terminus, the main segment of Bell Road, approximately 31 miles (50 km) in length, begins at the corporate boundaries of Phoenix and Scottsdale at its intersection with Scottsdale Road. Traveling west, the road intersectsState Route 51 andInterstate 17 in Phoenix, theLoop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) inPeoria, andGrand Avenue andLoop 303 in Surprise. West of the Beardsley Canal, the roadway curves around theWhite Tank Mountain Regional Park, becoming theSun Valley Parkway.
East of 66th Street, Bell Road takes a southeasterly bend and, at its intersection with Scottsdale Road, becomesFrank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, named in recognition of the architect and designer. This alignment was built in the mid-1970s during the construction of theCAP canal, which Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard parallels.[2] In this area ofScottsdale, a non-contiguous segment of Bell Road approximately 3.7 miles (6.0 km) long exists north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, including an intersection with the Pima Freeway (Loop 101).
East of theMcDowell Mountains, the Bell Road alignment forms the northern boundary of the city ofFountain Hills.
Prominent locations on or near Bell Road includeScottsdale Airport,Turf Paradise Race Course,Arrowhead Towne Center and thePeoria Sports Complex. Bell Road also forms the northern boundary of the original town site of Surprise.[8]
The entire road is inMaricopa County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise | 0.00 | 0.00 | Sun Valley Parkway west | Continuation beyond western end | |||
| McMicken Dam; western end of Bell Rd. | |||||||
| 2.50 | 4.02 |  Loop 303 (Bob Stump Memorial Parkway) | SPUI; exit 116 on Loop 303 | ||||
| 6.40 | 10.30 |  US 60 (Grand Avenue) | Interchange | ||||
| Peoria–Glendale line | 12.90 | 20.76 |  Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) | SPUI; exit 14 on Loop 101 | |||
| Phoenix | 19.90 | 32.03 |  I-17 (Black Canyon Freeway) –Tucson,Flagstaff | Diamond interchange with service roads; exit 212 on I-17 | |||
| 26.40 | 42.49 |  SR 51 | SPUI; exit 13 on SR 51 | ||||
| 30.90 | 49.73 | Scottsdale Road / Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard east | Road name transitions to Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard | ||||
| Gap in route; connection made via 1.4 miles (2.25 km) of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard and Greenway–Hayden Loop[1] | |||||||
| Scottsdale | 0.00 | 0.00 | Hayden Road north / Greenway-Hayden Loop south | ||||
| 1.00 | 1.61 | Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) | Exit 38 on Loop 101; indirect northbound access via service roads | ||||
| 3.70 | 5.95 | McDowell Mountain Ranch Road south | Continuation beyond eastern end | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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