the old, indirect US 80 was removed from Arizona, SR 85 was extended north in 1977 over the old alignment of US 80 to Buckeye and extended east to Phoenix. Portions of the route in Buckeye and Phoenix were turned over to their respective cities for maintenance in 1990. The following year, a portion of the highway between Avondale and Phoenix was turned over to Maricopa County for maintenance. (This portion is designated today as MC 85.) Also in 1991, the overlap between SR 85 and SR 86 was eliminated and the western terminus of SR 86 was changed to its junction with Route 85 in Why. In 1994, the northern end of SR 85 was moved onto the SR 85 Spur that connected to I-10 and the remaining portions along the old alignment to the east were redesignated as a temporary route of SR 85. In 1999, the portion of the old route in Avondale was turned over to the city for maintenance. The portion of the old route around the state capitol complex, the last remaining section of the old route between Phoenix and Buckeye, was turned over to the city of Phoenix in 2001. Future The segment of SR 85 between Buckeye and Gila Bend is a connector between I-8 and I-10, and serves both as a connector from I-8 from San Diego, California to Phoenix. This segment is being upgraded to a divided highway, and is planned to become a freeway from I-10 to SR-30. Most of the four-lane road upgrades have already been completed. In 2010, an environmental study into building a freeway-to-freeway interchange in Gila Bend from SR 85 to I-8 was completed by ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration. The study found no significant impact on the local environment and outlined a finalized full freeway standard design, bypassing the I-8 Business/Maricopa Road intersection SR 85 currently traverses through. A diamond interchange (Exit 121) is planned at Maricopa Road/I-8 Business along with a second diamond interchange slightly northeast of the proposed Exit 121. Major intersections Exit numbers reflect mileposts on former . Planned Gila Bend realignment See also Roads and freeways in metropolitan Phoenix References External links 1085 085 Transportation in Pima County, Arizona Transportation in Maricopa County, Arizona U.S. Route 80