The new year officially is here, but before we dive into 2012 we’re going to take a quick look back. ADOT’s Public Information/Media Relations team came up with a great list of the state’s major transportation accomplishments from 2011 and we thought we’d share it here on the blog!

Those of you who have ever taken I-17 north or south through our state probably are pretty familiar with the Cordes Junction traffic interchange. It’s the one that sits right between Flagstaff and Phoenix and serves about 13,000 vehicles a day (that’s in addition to the more than 27,000 vehicles that travel daily on I-17 at the junction of SR 69).

Have you ever spotted something on the highway and wondered, ‘what is that and why is it there?’ If you have, the ADOT Blog is here to help you find the answer!

Short of a time machine, travel demand models might just be the next best thing for taking a glimpse at the future of our transportation system. So, what is a travel demand model?

We’re thankful for the approximately 1,570 volunteer groups who currently adopt an Arizona highway. It’s hard to believe, but roughly 335 of the groups have been volunteering for more than 10 years and of those, 50 have been with Adopt a Highway for more than 20 years!

Maybe you've noticed some of the cameras that are perched high above the roadways ... These are Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and are used by ADOT's Traffic Operations Center (TOC) to constantly monitor traffic conditions throughout the state.

If you’ve been following our Building a Freeway series, you should be pretty familiar by now with much of the work that’s happening out on the Loop 303.

You've probably never gotten a good look at the Passive Acoustic Devices (PAD) out on the freeways … they're easy to miss. PADs are small objects that sit near the top of utility poles and are barely visible to drivers below, but they collect a lot of useful data.

When ADOT builds a freeway, there is an essential step that surprisingly requires absolutely no construction or even heavy lifting. We’re talking about partnering – the ADOT and construction industry process that allows everyone on the project to get together, set goals and talk about the work ahead.

Remember this awesome time-lapse video showing the construction of a temporary bypass at Greenway Road and the Loop 303? Well, today we’ve got an even more in-depth look at how crews built the new intersection – complete with temporary barriers, fences and traffic signals – in just about 43 hours! (Take a look at the photos below for an amazing before and after aerial glimpse of the new bypass!)

Placing asphalt friction course on a newly constructed road is sort of like icing a cake (stay with us here).

Yesterday we told you about ADOT’s Pavement Materials Testing group and how it is responsible for testing aggregate and creating asphalt friction course mix designs.

Last week we received a blog comment requesting an update on the I-17 bridges that span over Pinewood Boulevard in Munds Park. We thought it was a great suggestion and figured a blog post was in order!

There's a lot of useful information to be obtained from our roadways and loops help ADOT collect some of that data.

Nothing seems to slow a commute down like having to stop at one red light after another. That’s why ADOT is working to synchronize some of its signals – a move that can help traffic flow a little more smoothly while reducing the type of stop-and-go traffic that can lead to congestion.

We asked and you answered! Back in December when we told you about the Quiet Pavement Pilot Program, we launched a survey asking for your thoughts on freeway surface conditions in Maricopa County.

Some of the men and women who have bravely served their country are now homeless or at risk … Instead of letting that sad fact stand on its own, several organizations work to provide assistance to these veterans through an annual event called the Arizona StandDown.

When we blogged about quiet pavement back in December, we got a lot of comments… We received plenty of questions, too, which we’ll attempt to answer here on the blog in the coming weeks – starting with one on bridge expansion joints.

We’re just one day away from a very significant date in our state’s history … tomorrow is when Arizona officially celebrates 100 years of statehood! We don’t know about you, but such an important milestone really starts to make us think about what life must have been like for Arizonans way back in 1912.

Happy 100th Birthday, Arizona! As most of the state enters party mode today and stops to reflect on Arizona's past, we wanted to take a different approach to our Centennial revelry...