45th Anniversary

ADOT served well by four logos over 45 years

ADOT served well by four logos over 45 years

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ADOT served well by four logos over 45 years

ADOT served well by four logos over 45 years

By Angela DeWelles / ADOT Communications
December 26, 2019

ADOT has been represented by four very distinct logos over the last 45 years. Each one has helped the agency to create an identity and build public awareness, which is exactly what a well-designed logo is supposed to do.

 

1974-1995

This logo was designed by an ADOT graphic artist named Lillian Becker back in 1974 when the Arizona Highway Department officially became ADOT. According to a 1995 issue of Newsbeat, ADOT’s employee newsletter of the day, elements of the logo signified different parts of the new agency:

“One of the vertical lines represented a highway and the other a runway. The bottom horizontal line represented mass transportation, which was a new responsibility for ADOT during the 1970s.”

 

 

 

1995-1999

While it stayed around for only four years, this logo was one that employees were excited about in 1995, according to Newsbeat. The newsletter quoted an employee representative saying that the idea for the new logo was to take on a “modern corporate look that was less stuffy.” According to Newsbeat, the Executive Quality Council worked with ADOT graphic artists, who developed about 60 ideas for a potential new logo. A “special logo team” picked six logos and sent out ballots with the choices. Newsbeat reported that 53% of ADOT employees responded, and the winning logo received 1,027 votes, or about 43% of the responses.

 

 

1999-2012

When ADOT celebrated its 25th birthday 20 years ago, this logo was adopted to take the agency into the new millennium.

According to a 1999 issue of Mileposts, the employee newsletter of the day, ADOT Director Mary Peters challenged a nine-member team to develop a new logo that would “would work well with an aggressive marketing plan and improve the image of the agency both in the public sector and within the agency.” ADOT graphic designer Ron Loar was quoted by Mileposts describing the design:

“We were after a contemporary design … The new logo breaks away from a traditional government look and achieves a corporate look in keeping with current graphic design trends.”

The logo’s colors — plum and teal — were chosen, according to Mileposts, for their overall appeal and because they are representative of the Southwest.

 

 

2012-present

In 2012, it was determined that the agency’s logo was outdated and didn’t adequately represent ADOT as a progressive multimodal agency. This logo, which is still in use today, is a streamlined interpretation of the former logo that focuses on the ADOT text element. Today’s logo reinforces ADOT name recognition while removing the former logo’s immediate association with only roads.

From the Director: 45 years and counting

From the Director: 45 years and counting

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From the Director: 45 years and counting

From the Director: 45 years and counting

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director
July 2, 2019

Does the date July 1, 1974, ring a bell to you? I was in high school and living in the Midwest, and had no idea that date would have significance to me later in life. July 1, 1974, represents the beginning of what is today the Arizona Department of Transportation. We are 45 years and counting.

Let me provide a brief history lesson. Before 1974, there was the Arizona Highway Department. Its main focus was on highways – constructing and maintaining a state highway system. Our state was booming in population. Arizona experienced a 53% increase in population during the 1970s and 35% in the 1980s. It was hard to keep up with the growth, especially in the area of infrastructure. The need for a strong and reliable transportation system statewide was felt by state lawmakers. So, in 1973, the Arizona Legislature passed legislation that combined the Arizona Highway Department, the motor vehicle services agency and the Arizona Aeronautics Department. The new agency would be called the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Did you know that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor had a pivotal role in the formation of ADOT? While serving as Arizona State Senate Majority Leader, she led a group of Valley lawmakers in developing the legislation that would establish ADOT in 1973.

Per the legislation, ADOT was now responsible for all the state highways and state-owned airports, and would play a role in planning aviation, mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. ADOT is the only state DOT in the country that has its own airport – Grand Canyon National Park Airport. Its terminal has been in operation for 52 years.

The Motor Vehicle Division was already in existence and its functions were also added to the agency’s responsibilities. MVD continued to be responsible for vehicle registration, driver licensing, revenue collection and distribution. Our port and enforcement activities were also under MVD.

There have been seven ADOT directors since 1974, including me. I am now going on my 10th year as director. I am sure each director will tell you there have been many challenges during their tenure and a great deal of satisfaction when it comes to providing a safe and reliable transportation system for the people of Arizona. The employees at ADOT have always thought of safety first – it’s been our mantra since day one.

I invite you to read our employee newsletter, The Inside Lane, from now until December. We are taking a walk down memory lane and revisiting our history as an agency. We are identifying milestones in 10-year increments in each issue, having employees share their memories of working at ADOT and writing about changes in the industry and workplace. I think you will be amazed on what ADOT has accomplished these past 45 years.

So, here’s to you, ADOT –  45 years and counting….

Becoming ADOT 45 years ago today broadened our focus beyond highways

Becoming ADOT 45 years ago today broadened our focus beyond highways

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Becoming ADOT 45 years ago today broadened our focus beyond highways

Becoming ADOT 45 years ago today broadened our focus beyond highways

By Angela DeWelles / ADOT Communications
July 1, 2019

The big reorganization brought with it many new responsibilities for the department, including the addition of several new divisions.On July 1, 1974, the Arizona Highway Department officially became the Arizona Department of Transportation ... but the real shift involved much more than just a name change.

Before 1974, the Highway Department was centered on, well, highways. But when ADOT was born, the focus broadened to six divisions: Aeronautics, Highways, Administrative Services, Transportation Planning, Public Transit and Motor Vehicles.

Arizona Highway Department Director Justin Herman wrote about the change in a message to employees that appeared in the June 1973 issue of Drumbeats, the department’s employee newsletter of the day. Right after Arizona Governor Jack Williams signed the reorganization into law, Herman told workers that the transition would be smooth and efficient.

“We will be heading in a new and challenging direction. Some employees will still be dealing strictly with highway matters. Others will be involved in a broader look at transportation.


“We have every confidence that, with each employee’s help, we can launch the new DOT successfully and ensure for Arizona a top-notch Department of Transportation such as the Highway Department now is, enriched by the high tradition of public service for which our organization has always been known.”“The present legislation is probably only a beginning, a foundation on which new responsibilities will be added as time goes on. It can be expected that highways in Arizona will undoubtedly continue to be the dominant mode of travel, but the state for the first time will have an agency authorized to take a serious look at all transportation modes.

Highway maintenance and construction certainly didn't falter during the change. Here are some of the projects and major accomplishments from the transitional years of 1973 to 1975:

In the 1973-74 fiscal year alone, a total of 147.7 miles of state highway were completed and opened to traffic. More than half of this was on the interstate system, which at the time was only 88% complete.

Becoming ADOT 45 years ago today broadened our focus beyond highways
Interstate 15 was officially opened by the governors of Arizona and Utah.

Crews added new southbound roadway and overlaid northbound lanes for 14 miles on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff.

Workers reconstructed 21 miles of Interstate 10 in Pima and Cochise counties and completed the 4-mile I-10 bypass of Benson.

Crews worked on various Interstate 40 projects west of Flagstaff.

The agency worked toward adding two lanes of divided highway on I-17 through Copper Canyon, south of Camp Verde.

Crews continued the Superstition Freeway from Price Road to Dobson Road in the East Valley and worked on construction of I-10 west of Phoenix.

It’s safe to say that the switch from a Highway Department to a Department of Transportation was a major milestone in Arizona’s transportation history. Look for more posts in coming weeks about this change and ADOT's history over the past nearly half century.