The Superstition Mountains served as backdrop Tuesday when a group including contractors, ADOT and local government officials, gathered in the East Valley to mark the construction start of SR 24. Work begins this month on the first stretch of the state route also known as the Gateway Freeway.

These reference “posts” are set two feet off the right shoulder and are about one mile apart. Mile posts can be used to tell where you are located if you are involved in a collision, have mechanical problems, or are out of gas. If you have to stop, note the route you are on and the approximate distance from a mile post.

Who says a license plate can’t be well designed and even beautiful? Not the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, that’s for sure. This group is the world’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization devoted to researching, collecting and promoting license plates.

The ADOT Blog turns one today ... that's a lot of blog posts, photos and videos! One year ago today we launched this blog and now, 12 months later, we’re trying to figure out how to mark the anniversary…

We don’t know about you, but the Loop 303 improvement project sure has taught us lot about building a freeway… So far, we have come to understand more about soffit fills and waste slabs than we ever thought possible. We’ve also learned quite a bit about false work and sand jacks, bridges, temporary bypasses, caissons and even dirt.

If you follow us on Facebook, you might have seen the photo we posted yesterday as part of our “Where in AZ?” series...

When more than 200 horses and their riders want to cross the freeway, it’s smart to move out of their way! It also is a good reason to close the road to vehicle traffic, which is what happened twice this week when US 60 and US 93 were shut down briefly at the south roundabout in downtown Wickenburg.

For obvious reasons, highway work zone safety is a serious subject here at ADOT… The agency’s employees who build and maintain Arizona’s roadways are constantly aware of (and prepared for) any hazardous situation that might occur.

It’s not just about building and maintaining roads; transportation is what connects people, businesses and our communities. We think it’s pretty important and want to take a chance to briefly describe how transportation is funded in this state.

In the transportation industry, one of the greatest ways to connect with the future now is to watch a construction project take shape.

A rebar cap is a special steel-reinforced plastic “mushroom” cap that is placed on protruding rebar at construction sites. Even though it’s small, it serves an important purpose.

We’ve followed along pretty closely as work on the Loop 303 has started to transform this two-lane freeway into a major transportation corridor for drivers in the West Valley…

Our calendar is nearing the first day of summer and as temperatures start to soar we’re reminded (as we are every year) that Arizona gets sunshine … a lot of sunshine. Fortunately, ADOT is able to put some of those rays to work.

License Plate Bingo just got a little more challenging! That’s because three new Arizona specialty license plates have been released and you can already spot them out on the road.

Red means stop and green means go, but what about a flashing yellow arrow? It’s a traffic signal you might not encounter daily, however ADOT plans on adding one to the I-10 interchange at 32nd Street near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and drivers should be prepared for the change.

What’s filled with sand, weighs up to 1,400 pounds and is designed to save lives? If you answered a sand barrel crash cushion, you’re correct! And, if you didn’t have a guess then you’re probably asking: What’s a sand barrel crash cushion?

What's a Lost Deck? Find out, today on the ADOT Blog.

Hard to believe, but just two months ago it was still technically winter… Since then, temperatures around the state have warmed up and we're officially headed toward summer. Besides the hotter temps, this time of year also brings about the reopening of roads, routes and highways closed by ADOT for the winter.

A three-day weekend is coming up and that means a lot of people will be hitting the road… It’s the perfect time to take a road trip, but it’s also wildfire season and we’ve all got to be a bit more careful in this dry, desert climate we live.

Next time you’re at a party and really want to impress the crowd, try throwing out this bit of transportation trivia: more than 1.3 million new Arizona license plates were produced last fiscal year. That’s a lot of plates!