ADOT Blog

The bridges over Pinewood Boulevard in Munds Park have been carrying Interstate-17 traffic for the past 53 years and now it’s time for some well-deserved reconstruction! ADOT has already begun the project that will rebuild the bridges and ramps on I-17 at Munds Park , an area just south of Flagstaff . Work started last month and is scheduled to wrap up by fall 2012.

It’s a sad truth, but trash thrown onto our state’s roadways really adds up. That’s because it’s not just a few random soda cans, cigarettes or empty bags littering the roads and surrounding areas. In reality, more than 800 tons of trash gets picked up in Arizona each year.

ADOT can’t just construct a freeway wherever and however it wants… Building a road actually requires a lot of careful planning, thought and exploration long before the first construction crews ever arrive on site.

Instead of holding their annual meeting in a conference room, key stakeholders in one of ADOT’s oldest partnerships took a bus tour through the Tonto National Forest to get a close look at the projects made possible by their collaboration. And, I was lucky enough to tag along!

When a new section of highway opens, we here at ADOT celebrate right alongside the local communities, citizens, contractors and stakeholders who all played a part in getting the road built.

If you’ve ever worked on any sort of team you know it takes a lot of trust, communication and cooperation from everyone to achieve what the group is working toward. You’re probably also aware of what happens when that cooperation isn't there ... it can be a bad experience for everyone!

A call to the Arizona Department of Transportation might not be the first you’d make during an emergency ... but in some situations, an ADOT crew could be your best hope for help.

Wondering what to do Saturday morning? How about taking ADOT up on the rare opportunity to walk, jog, skate or bike along the new segment of Loop 303 before it opens to traffic.

This week we’ve focused on the newest stretch of Loop 303 (maybe that’s because we’re really excited to see it open next week!). But, there is so much more planned for the entire freeway and today we want to give you a look at what to expect.

In fact, ADOT goes to great lengths to make sure Arizona’s roads are as smooth as possible…even when that means walking hundreds of miles of roadway! To measure the smoothness of a road, ADOT uses a machine called a profilograph that surveys the road for any lumps, bumps or dips.