Yesterday we kicked-off Arizona’s Centennial celebration with a look at where Arizona is today and how the work we do in the present will affect the lives of Arizonans in the future.

You don’t have to call this state home to understand the appeal of Arizona Highways magazine. Readers everywhere appreciate the publication’s gorgeous photography and stellar writing – it boasts subscribers from all 50 U.S. states and two-thirds of the countries on this planet!

When someone asks you what you do for a living, it’s probably difficult to sum it all up with just a couple of words. It’s the same for most of us here at ADOT, where there are a lot of employees with a lot of responsibilities and so many different job titles! In an effort to better explain what ADOT does, we thought it would be informative (and fun) to take a closer look at some of the duties behind those titles.

Did you realize this week is National Engineers Week? It’s a pretty big deal around here because ADOT has so many engineers who come to work each day to build, operate and maintain the state’s highway system.

Becoming a licensed, professional engineer takes more than just a college diploma… After graduation there are some tough exams involved, along with a requirement to obtain four years of engineering experience under a licensed Professional Engineer (PE).

Just last month we blogged about a project that’s under way on I-17 and SR 69 in Cordes Junction. So, maybe you’re wondering why we’re bringing it up again so soon … Well, we’re blogging about it today because we’ve got an awesome new video (see above) that details the entire project and shows footage from January when crews installed some precast girders – a milestone in the construction.

ADOT’s efforts to ease some of the stop-and-go traffic on Grand Avenue have been pretty successful so far, but you don’t have to just take our word – we’ve got the results to prove it! Before we reveal those findings, let’s back things up a bit first …

When you see signs directing you to tune in to a certain radio station for construction information, do you ever wonder where the signal is coming from? Chances are a nearby Highway Advisory Radio transceiver is helping to deliver the message.

Arizona’s transportation system has evolved over the past 100 years from a series of unpaved roads into a robust network of highways, airports and transit systems equipped with the latest technology and innovations.

What does the phrase “going green” mean to you? If you work in one of ADOT’s Equipment Services shops, it means implementing more than 175 environmentally conscious “best management practices” within your workplace.

Something kind of cool came across our desk and we wanted to share … The Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter of WTS – an organization aimed at advancing women in transportation – sent out a news release that says two Arizona students and their mentors are headed to Washington DC to meet federal officials and take part in some key transportation-related events, including the DC Youth Summit.

When Arizona turned 100 last month, we celebrated by documenting everything ADOT does across the state in a single day. And, oh what a day it was!

Last week we were asked on Facebook to provide an update on the Loop 303 project – specifically the bridge construction at Waddell Road. We’re happy to oblige! We also are glad to report that the bridge construction is progressing as planned.

We won’t blame you if you see this green slope at the Loop 303 and US 60 (Grand Avenue) and think it's part of a St. Patrick’s Day stunt, but we promise this is no gimmick! The mound of dirt is green for good reason, albeit one that has nothing to do with tomorrow’s holiday …

Bigger, easier-to-read signs are coming to a freeway near you! That’s because at the beginning of the year, ADOT adopted the latest edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), along with the Arizona supplemental modifications, as a standard for traffic control devices for use on the streets and highways of the state of Arizona.

When you’re building bridges, there’s more than one way to get the job done... We told you a few months ago about a method that utilizes false work and sand jacks. Today, we’re going to fill you in on a different approach … the key terms to remember are soffit fills and waste slabs.

It goes without saying that pets and highways are a dangerous combination. Still, thousands of dogs and cats end up on Arizona’s highways every year often suffering serious or fatal injuries and contributing to motor vehicle crashes.

The SR 143 has undergone some reconstruction and work still continues, but that doesn’t mean the indigenous images and symbols that have long been a part of its landscape will go away.

If you’re in the market for a snowplow, Saturday might just end up being your lucky day... That’s when Equipment Services will hold a public auction (basically ADOT’s version of a garage sale) and there’s a long list of items up for purchase, including that snowplow.

There’s no cookie-cutter approach when it comes to getting the word out on an upcoming ADOT project … The method (or more likely, methods) used to communicate with the public depends on the plans, location and a host of other factors.