ADOT receives award for innovation in Nogales Port of Entry project

PHOENIX – America's Transportation Awards presented a Best Use of Innovation award to the Arizona Department of Transportation for the Nogales Mariposa Port of Entry project completed in summer 2012. ADOT received the award during a presentation at the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials annual meeting on Aug. 5 in San Francisco.

The Best Use of Innovation award recognizes innovative management techniques and use of technology.

The Nogales Mariposa Port of Entry received new technology to allow faster processing of trucks crossing the border, thereby improving overall traffic flow and processing capability at one of the busiest ports of entry in the United States. The project involved collaboration between ADOT, the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Arizona-Mexico Commission.

Upgrades included seven Slow Speed Weigh in Motion (SSWIM) scales, seven credential processing booths, and a larger building to accommodate more staff to process commercial truck permitting and issuance of citations.

The project cost $8.5 million and took a little more than six months to complete.

In addition to improvements at the port of entry, ADOT realigned and widened a portion of State Route 189 that runs adjacent to the port, further improving traffic flow in the area.

The America's Transportation Awards competition, co-sponsored by AAA, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), was launched in 2008 to recognize projects accomplished each year by state departments of transportation. The awards highlight the value that departments of transportation add to their communities.