ADOT unit recovers millions for incidents damaging state highways

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation unit tasked with seeking insurance reimbursement when incidents cause damage to the state highway system recovered $6.4 million during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

ADOT accomplishes this through its Insurance Recovery Team, which has a goal of saving Arizonans from bearing the cost of repairs when individuals or firms are responsible for damage to the highway system. Staffed by professionals with insurance industry backgrounds, the unit reaches out to the responsible parties and their insurance carriers to recover the repair costs, which include labor, equipment and materials.

“Our commitment to insurance recovery helps safeguard Arizona’s investment in state highways,” said ADOT Risk Management Administrator Susan Stumfoll. “Having an Insurance Recovery Team staffed by experienced professionals helps make sure those responsible for damage to state property are held accountable for the associated cost of repairs.”

The Insurance Recovery Team processed 2,111 claims during the 2024 fiscal year, including these:

• $86,000 recovered for a 2023 incident in which a cement truck struck a concrete barrier wall on the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport 
• $79,000 recovered for a semitrailer fire that burned the asphalt on the Beeline Highway in 2023
• $37,000 recovered for a semitrailer fire that burned the asphalt on I-40 in earlier this year

The money recovered goes into the State Highway Fund. And it adds up: During the past three fiscal years, ADOT’s Insurance Recovery Team processed 7,233 claims to recover $23 million for damage to the state highway system.

The recovery process begins when law enforcement responds to an incident in which a guardrail, a bridge or some component of the highway system has been damaged. The officer will mark the damaged item with a sticker that has the incident report number on it. When ADOT is notified of the damage and makes the repair, a member of the Insurance Recovery Team will contact the responsible party or their insurer to file a claim.