Transportation is personal. It affects every aspect of our daily lives, giving us the freedom to move where, when and how we want to go. It’s how we get to work in the morning and back home at night. It’s how the products we buy get to stores and how the products we sell get to our customers. It’s how we reach destinations in our state.

Ever try to figure out how ADOT decided to put a freeway where it did? Or why some roads have wider shoulders than others? Well, none of it happened by accident. ADOT, like most transportation agencies, takes a three-phased approach to transportation decision making: Vision, Planning and Programming.

Every Thursday, ADOT produces the Valley Freeways Weekend Closures map, detailing the major road closures planned for the upcoming weekend throughout Maricopa County's regional freeway system. The map is a great resource (if you don't already receive it you can sign up for that and other freeway-specific email updates), but we want to use the ADOT blog to take the closure information one step further; to tell you more about WHY we're closing the freeways -- about how your tax dollars are being spent to improve your transportation system.

In just 10 hours this past weekend, two bridges in southern Arizona were demolished in order to make way for something new. All it took was some good planning, plenty of patience from motorists, a few enormous machines, and a ton of work by crews on the sites.

Arizona dust storms sometimes hit suddenly, without much notice at all. Drivers can be caught very quickly in a blinding wall of dust and debris that leaves almost no visibility. While these storms typically happen between May and September, motorists should be aware year-round of the potential danger these high-wind storms create.

Last week we gave a brief overview of how ADOT plans for future transportation needs through a three-phased approach. We covered the Visioning phase (if money was no object, how would we plan for Arizona’s transportation future) and the Planning phase (given that resources are limited, how should we prioritize the needs identified in the Vision).

Driving Valley Freeways this time of year? You might hear about or even experience lane restrictions because of rubberized asphalt paving. “Why,” you ask, “does ADOT schedule rubberized asphalt paving between March and May when so many of us are out and about enjoying the gorgeous weather?”

Whether you’re in the driver’s seat or just along for the ride, Arizona has many scenic roads to make your trip worth taking. But, what exactly is an official “scenic road” and who makes that determination?

There's an easy step you can take to help protect your child in case of an emergency. Through the ADOT Motor Vehicle Division, you can obtain an Arizona ID card for your child. It looks similar to a driver license, but is used for identification purposes only.

Over the past several years the soil under the Loop 101 travel lanes, where it abuts the bridge over Camelback Road, has been slowly settling and creating a depression.

The countdown is on! It won’t be long before drivers in the West Valley get to experience the newest section of Loop 303, otherwise known as the Bob Stump Memorial Parkway.

Who says constructing a freeway through a beautiful desert expanse has to spoil the view? Once the new stretch of Loop 303 opens this month, motorists will see for themselves that great care was taken by ADOT and its project partners to keep the scene as pristine and seemingly untouched as possible.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.