ADOT Blog

You know when you drive under or over a freeway bridge that it’s a massive structure… There are the two abutments (the upright supporting structures at each end that carries the load of the bridge span), there are usually center columns or piers, and, of course, the girders and the bridge deck (the part you actually drive across).

They're typically headed to one of the country’s biggest tourist destinations -- the Grand Canyon. One of the main routes to the popular south entrance happens to be State Route 64, which takes motorists right through the middle of Tusayan (pop. 560). The small town gets a lot of pedestrian and vehicle traffic and understandably there have been some concern related to all the activity on SR 64.

Earlier we told you about the new intercity rail study that’s going to help ADOT examine the possibility of a new transportation link between Phoenix and Tucson. (By the way, there’s still plenty of time to comment and we hope you will!) But, today, we really want to focus on why ADOT conducts studies like this one.

Construction got started earlier this fall on a project that’s designed to bring some big improvements for a stretch of Interstate-10 in the Tucson area. The I-10 widening project from Ruthrauff Road to Prince Road will not only expand the freeway to four lanes in each direction, but will also reconstruct the Prince Road traffic interchange so the road will pass over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and I-10. New landscaping and entrance and exit ramp improvements are also part of the plan.

Several miles of new HOV lanes opened earlier this week in Chandler and the West Valley … just in time for the Monday morning commute!

What are your thoughts on the possibility of a new transportation connection between Phoenix and Tucson? If you travel between these two major metropolitan areas, the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to hear from you!

As ADOT employees, we naturally get a lot of transportation-related questions thrown our way by friends and family... it’s just something that comes with the job! But, another question we regularly get focuses on the rock landscaping surrounding our Valley freeways. People want to know why we don’t just use trees and shrubs instead of rock. Others wonder why we landscape the area at all.

When ADOT has a freeway to build, many steps must be taken long before any asphalt is paved. One of those initial tasks involves pre-wetting the soil, which entails pretty much exactly what you think it does … crews put sprinkler systems into place and water the dirt!

When ADOT builds a road, the work gets started years (sometimes decades) ahead of any real construction … It all begins with the planning phase, which includes everything from determining where a new roadway is most needed to taking a look at available funding.

Smooth takeoffs and easy landings require airport runways that are maintained and cared for … because no pilot (or passenger) wants to hit a pothole on the taxiway. But, keeping an airport’s pavement in good condition takes some vigilance – extreme temperatures, wear from heavy loads and age can all take their toll on pavement. Smaller, publicly owned airports in the state might not have the budget, or the manpower, to handle needed repairs.