ADOT Blog

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.

When it comes to preventing sediment from being washed out of construction sites and into adjacent water sources, there’s a low-tech solution that proves very useful. It’s called a wattle.... A what?

A new school year is in full swing and now is the time for Arizona educators to take advantage of the $5 million in grants available from Safe Routes to School!

All the innovation and care that went into the US 60 Gonzales Pass project has really paid off. Not only did the 10-mile stretch west of Superior transform from two lanes into a safer, more modern four-lane highway, but the project has just been awarded the President’s Award in Valley Forward’s 31st annual Environmental Excellence Awards program.

Did you realize that more than 111,000 people in the U.S. are in need of a life-saving organ transplant? In Arizona alone, 2,100 people are waiting ... That’s why the Donor Network of Arizona is so important. As the state’s only organ recovery organization, this not-for-profit group is a much-needed resource.