![](https://s4745.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/State-route-24-1.jpg)
By Gary Nelson | East Valley Tribune
Faced with the prospect of further explosive growth in the Southeast Valley, Mesa and Queen Creek are hustling to build two major roadways that will connect with a future extension the State Route 24 freeway.
The cities have agreed to design and build Meridian and Signal Butte roads northward from where they now stop in Queen Creek to the freeway, creating two new major north-south routes in the area.
State Route 24 currently exists for only one mile between Loop 202 and Ellsworth Road. A five-mile extension to Ironwood Road is scheduled for completion in late 2022, with construction beginning in the fall of 2020.
SR24 gives drivers from southeast Mesa, Queen Creek and the San Tan Valley area the quickest access to the Valley’s entire freeway system.