It took $30 million and more than a decade — but for the first time today, Maricopa residents traversed the first leg of the city’s third major thoroughfare.

Construction crews removed barricades along John Wayne Parkway around 12:30 p.m., signaling the long-awaited and embattled Sonoran Desert Parkway is open for traffic.

While the four-lane freeway currently connects John Wayne to Porter Road, it will eventually extend to Interstate 10 as an alternative route for residents living in Maricopa to the east.

The highway may later expand to six lanes.

City spokesperson Quinn Konold said an official ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned “in the coming weeks.”