PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation’s social media platforms recently reached a milestone: eclipsing 500,000 followers.

ADOT’s Office of Digital Communications is active on social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok and NextDoor, strategically using each platform to share information about real-time highway conditions, transportation topics, Motor Vehicle Division information and more.

While follower count is only one metric among many meaningful ones, reaching half-a-million shows that ADOT has established itself as a go-to source for information – and a little humor sometimes, too – for Arizonans.

Recently, members of ADOT’s Digital Communications team, which oversees the agency’s social media presence, recorded an episode for the agency’s podcast, “On The Road With ADOT,” about how ADOT uses social media platforms to connect with motorists and provide information to the traveling public. Download and listen to the episode on any podcast platform, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

OTR playing in traffic(1x1) from ADOT Vimeo-External on Vimeo.

State Route 67 leading to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park has closed for the winter effective today, Thursday, Dec. 1.

The highway will be blocked to traffic about a half mile from its junction with US 89A at Jacob Lake. With park facilities closed for the winter, the Arizona Department of Transportation doesn’t clear snow from the highway, which leads 43 miles south from US 89A.

The North Rim averages more than 9 feet of snow annually, according to the National Weather Service.

SR 67 is scheduled to reopen in mid-May along with North Rim lodges, campgrounds and other amenities.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will host a public open house Wednesday, Nov. 16 in Phoenix to share the details of its plan to develop a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations along interstate highways in Arizona. 

The meeting is one of several public meetings throughout the state to share details of the initial plan implementation and seek public input on which additional highways throughout the state should be added to the ADOT electric vehicle charging station network.

The meeting is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Gateway Community College, Integrated Education Bldg. Copper Room at 108 N. 40th St. in Phoenix.

The meeting will be held in an open house format without a formal presentation. A recorded presentation with study details will be shown throughout the meeting and study team members will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

The charging stations will be funded through the National Vehicle Infrastructure Program, or NEVI. The goal of the federal NEVI program is to encourage adoption of electric vehicles by improving the accessibility, reliability and equity of clean transportation options.

For more information about the EV plan, additional ways to provide input including an online survey, as well as details on upcoming meetings throughout the state, visit /planning/transportation-studies/arizona-electric-vehicle-program

From fender benders to major collisions, crash responders are there to assist those involved and help clear the road as quickly as possible for other commuters.

In recognition of these roadside heroes, Governor Doug Ducey has proclaimed this week (Nov. 14-18) as Crash Responder Safety Week in Arizona. The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety join in recognizing the job crash responders perform and how to help them stay safe.

Arizona saw an average of nearly 333 crashes per day last year on all roads both local and state. Many of those were attended to by emergency responders which include law enforcement, firefighters, medical personnel and tow truck drivers. While each of these responders has a different job to do, all are practicing what’s known as traffic incident management.

“Traffic incident management is the coordinated practices, responsibilities and cooperation of all of the different crash responders at the scene of a crash,” said Derek Arnson, ADOT’s Traffic Management Group manager. “These coordinated efforts help keep crash victims and emergency responders safe while working to clear the crash scene.”

In 2017, ADOT and the Department of Public Safety launched the Arizona Traffic Incident Management website https://tim.az.gov/home with the goal of being the go-to resource for Arizona TIM responder training. Since the website’s inception, Arizona has held 438 training sessions resulting in 8,743 crash responders being trained as of the end of August.

Drivers can help keep crash first responders safe by doing two things: quick clearance and moving over. 

If you are in a minor crash and your vehicle is still operable, pull out of the travel lanes onto the side of the road or freeway. This clears the travel lanes for traffic to continue moving through, reducing the chance of a secondary collision. 

If you are in the travel lanes and come upon vehicles on the shoulder of the road, move over one lane to give them space and give space to crash responders on scene to do their jobs. If it’s not possible to move over, slow way down as you pass by to help keep them safe.

“Through TIM training and driver awareness, we can help keep crash responders safe and able to go home to their families each night,” Arnson said.

Mt. Humpfreeze. Flake Forty-Eight. Shovelin’ Sunshine.

These names or others could soon adorn some of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s snowplows.They are three of the nearly 4,700 names that Arizonans submitted in ADOT’s Name–A-Snowplow contest this month and are among the 15 finalists.

Beginning today, the public can go to azdot.go/NameAPlow and vote for their favorite names. The three names that receive the most votes will be the winners and placed on the driver’s side of the cab of three snowplows in ADOT’s fleet of 200. Voting is open through Tuesday, Nov. 1.

The 15 finalists are:

• Alice Scooper
• Blizzard of AZ
• Chilly Pepper
• De-Ice, Ice Baby
• Flake Forty-Eight
• Frost Responder
• Mt. Humpfreeze
• Prickly Plow
• Optimus Brine
• Snokopelli
• Snowguaro
• Snowcotillo
• Shovelin’ Sunshine
• The Plowdalorian
• Yavapai Yeti

“We’re thrilled that so many Arizonans embraced the challenge to come up with great names for our snowplows,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Naming the snowplows humanizes the huge effort our drivers and their plows undertake each winter. We want to keep them and you safe. Parts of our state have already received dustings of snow, and it won’t be long before these vital vehicles are put to use, clearing highways and making travel safer for everyone.”

ADOT has 200 snowplows and nearly 500 trained snowplow operators stationed at highway maintenance yards across the state, ready to deploy when snowflakes fall. Arizona’s high country can receive a tremendous amount of snowfall – Flagstaff, in fact, is one of the snowiest cities in the country. These snowplows and their skilled operators play major roles in clearing highways during and after winter storms, laying down de-icer prior to storms and are even put to work during the spring, summer and fall to push mud, boulders and debris off highways after rain storms.

To vote in the contest, visit azdot.go/NameAPlow.

Arizona is one of the first states in the nation to have its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan given the stamp of approval from the Federal Highway Administration. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation submitted its draft proposal in August and with the federal approval this week, $11.3 million will be made available immediately with another $16.3 million coming in October of this year to begin implementing the plan. This is a portion of the overall $76.5 million allocated for this program in Arizona over the next five years through the recently enacted federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) /planning/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act. 

The next step for ADOT is to solicit and award the contracts to upgrade existing stations as well as develop new locations along designated alternative fuel corridors. Advertising for bids to upgrade existing stations will begin in spring of 2023 followed by bid solicitations in autumn 2023 for new construction. The plan calls for stations to be no more than 50 miles apart wherever possible. 

In many cases, stations will be located where there is already infrastructure in place, such as truck stops, roadside lodging, restaurants and shopping centers, among other possibilities. 

Currently, the alternative fuel corridors are identified as all six of the federal Interstate Highways throughout the state. These are Interstates 8, 10, 15, 17, 19, and 40 which account for more than 20 percent of all the vehicle miles traveled in Arizona. Other non-interstate corridors will be determined and included in the plan in future years. The plan will next be updated in August of 2023. 

Among the specific goals of the plan are reducing electric vehicle drivers’ “range anxiety” by closing gaps in the charging network along the designated corridors and ensuring the network is resilient, equitable, accessible and reliable. Also the plan aims to identify new charging locations as part of an ongoing public outreach process and will use data to evaluate the system and make improvements. 

A copy of the plan, more information, and contact information to leave feedback are available here: /planning/transportation-studies/arizona-electric-vehicle-program

Upgraded speed limit signage and pedestrian crossing signage on US 89 entering the community of Yarnell are among the immediate measures being taken by the Arizona Department of Transportation to address safety issues following a recent fatal crash between a vehicle and a pedestrian. 

“ADOT’s priority is to get everyone home safely,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “I and a number of ADOT’s engineering staff met with Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes to look at how traffic can be managed better and potential solutions to improve safety for the residents of Yarnell, other nearby communities and the drivers who use this road. We look forward to a resourceful and collaborative process with area residents, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and other affected stakeholders.” 

Initially, ADOT will add pedestrian crossing signs with improved reflectivity that is more visible during both nighttime and daylight hours. The agency will also install new speed limit signs as drivers approach and enter Yarnell itself. 

As it looks into potential long-term improvements, ADOT will begin a Roadway Safety Assessment. This is a comprehensive report based on a review by a multi disciplined traffic safety team, onsite data collection, crash data and other vital information that may suggest changes to signing, striping, geometrics, traffic control or other safety improvements. 

The timeframe for the review can vary depending upon the complexity of the recommendations but is expected to be completed this fall. Also, information collected as part of the ongoing Department of Public Safety investigation of the fatal crash may help inform what potential measures could be taken to enhance safety. 

In addition to the area in and around Yarnell, an assessment will also be made about road conditions in nearby Peeples Valley.