At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we are all about improving our processes whereby safety and quality are enhanced, and eliminating wastes. The effort is called “kaizen.” In our Continuous Improvement culture, kaizen can be a noun (change for the better) or verb (make change for the better).

I’ve been amazed by how our employees have embraced our kaizen philosophy since 2016. A kaizen can be large or small. It can be a new way of removing rusted nails from damaged guardrails with an impact gun and 6-inch socket to a new invention called a guardrail crab, which moves and lifts guardrail into position along a roadway. The result has been a reduction in the number of employees needed to replace guardrail and potential injury, not to mention enhancing safety for everyone.

We have videos that depict kaizens in action and the effects in the work being performed, from a barrel funnel to load sand into crash barrels, to using a reverse diamond stencil when repaving our roadways.

One of the most notable kaizens has been reducing wait times at our Motor Vehicle Division offices. A team identified all the process steps to issue a driver’s license. Using a problem-solving mindset, they located and eliminated wastes in the process. What used to take a day, now only takes minutes. Our MVD employees truly have embraced their mantra of “out of line and safely on the road” with many kaizens that enhance the customer experience.

Using humble inquiry, our employees ask, “Why do we have this process step and what value does it bring?” By asking why, our employees are empowered to find a better way, to become problem solvers and make changes for the better. The essence of kaizen is “everyone, everywhere, solving problems every day!”

Here are just a few more examples of note-worthy kaizens implemented at ADOT: anti-graffiti shields on freeway signs, tablets for windshield wiper fluid mixtures, repurposed generator trailer for guardrail repair, refurbished herbicide truck to spray weeds in our right of way and use of a winch in a truck to help remove large animal remains on our roadways.

I’m proud to say that we’ve implemented more than 39,000 kaizens at ADOT over the past six years. We’ve made changes for the better - eliminating wastes, improving processes, enhancing safety and quality, and providing better customer experiences.

Kaizen! 

A truck striking the bottom of a lower-height bridge deck -- also commonly called an overpass -- can cause plenty of damage.

ADOT engineers had noticed that one problem area were I-17 overpasses in Phoenix. Trucks hitting overpasses at 19th Avenue, 16th Street and other locations were causing thousands of dollars in damage.

Enter the Central District and Regional Traffic Engineering teams. After exploring a few options, it was determined that a solution to this recurring issue was adding red-and-white reflective sheeting to the bottom decks of several I-17 bridges. This makes the bridge overpass stand out for trucks that don't meet the bridge clearance.

Sheeting was trimmed to fit the bottom edges of the bridges. Highway Operations team members installed the material on I-17 overpasses at 19th Avenue, Seventh Avenue, Seventh Street and 16th Street.

The team's ingenuity and perseverance paid off. Since the sheeting was installed last summer, there have been no bridge hits at those locations. Previously, overpass repairs at those locations totaled about $37,000 a year.

“The feedback so far has been very favorable regarding the visibility, cost and ease of installation,” said Highway Operations Superintendent Sean McHugh. “Based on this easier and lower cost process, standard work was created for low-height bridges that can be applied across the state.”

When you have to make repairs to your house from a leaky roof or from storm damage, you file a claim with your insurance company. We all know there is paperwork involved, which may include submitting photos and cost estimates, as well as communicating to insurance agents about the repairs. 

The process is similar to what happens when there is damage to our roadways from crashes, vehicle fires and other traffic incidents. At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we have a dedicated team responsible for recovering costs from insurance companies and reinvesting those dollars into our transportation system. It’s our Insurance Recovery Unit and I’d like to highlight the important work they perform each and every day.

Our Insurance Recovery Unit consists of seven employees, of which five members have a total of 85 years of experience working in the insurance industry. They are responsible for recovering costs associated with damage to the state’s transportation system. For fiscal year 2021, the team recovered $4.7 million. They have already recovered $4 million in the first seven months of FY22. We reinvest the insurance money we receive back into our transportation system, providing savings to Arizona taxpayers.

As you’ve traveled on our roadways, you may have seen damage to guardrails, signs, concrete barriers and more. The top three items we file claims for are guardrail, fencing and cabling repairs. The highest cost items to repair are bridges, asphalt from vehicle fires and concrete barriers. 

Besides providing savings to the taxpayer, the Insurance Recovery Unit also maximizes resources. In 2018, the team had a goal of going paperless and having team members work from home. They realized both goals by March 2019. Once the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, our work processes changed at ADOT and we had more employees who were eligible to work from home do so. This team has had no interruptions in workflow and has maintained a high degree of efficiency throughout the pandemic. Their organizational structure also maximizes the skill set of team members.

I appreciate the work our Insurance Recovery Unit performs. By maximizing resources and reinvesting funds to repair our transportation system, this team embodies our True North, ensuring everyone gets Safely Home.

In 2015, Governor Doug Ducey introduced the Arizona Management System to Arizona state government. As an early adopter, ADOT applied the Governor’s AMS principles to all of our operations, including our fleet management and services. The AMS system revolutionized ADOT’s fleet management to the point where we are now responsible for servicing and maintaining the entire state government’s vehicle fleet of cars, trucks, vans, etc., while improving service to customers. 

Arizona’s fleet consists of 10,000 state vehicles, heavy equipment and emergency response units. ADOT has the largest share, with more than 4,000 vehicles and heavy off-road equipment, and more than 20 Equipment Shops around the state. Through approved legislation signed by Governor Ducey, the fleet has now been transferred from the Arizona Department of Administration to ADOT.  We now support more than 60 state agencies. With this consolidation, the state fleet operations follow the same uniform guidelines for ADOT’s fleet operations, including purchasing and preventative maintenance.

ADOT also chairs the State Fleet Council, which is responsible for introducing standardized fleet best management practices, reducing duplication, cutting costs and improving processes -- AMS principles in action. The Council follows continuous improvement tools to improve efficiency and eliminate waste. 

I am happy to report the Council has already had success under the fleet consolidation effort:

• Reduced underutilized assets including sedans, minivans, half-ton pickups and SUVs, saving more than $6 million.
• Implemented a 10-point fleet vehicle replacement system.
• Expanded the surplus customer base with an online fleet auction process which provides world wide coverage.
• Moved preventative maintenance schedules from 6,000 miles to 8,000 miles while following manufacturer’s guidelines.
• Implemented a cost-savings statewide fleet tire policy.
• Sold more than 1,000 vehicles for other agencies since March 2020. 
• Working to maximize the state’s order size when replacing vehicles, by grouping most state agencies together for deeper discounts.
• Implemented a statewide GPS contract, having installed more than 2,500 units to monitor, track and maximize vehicle use, and to safeguard employees by monitoring seatbelt use.

The fleet consolidation effort is a win-win for taxpayers and the state. We are already witnessing savings by reducing the size of the state’s fleet, ordering in bulk and selling vehicles online. We are creating uniform guidelines and processes that will maximize resources and provide improved service to customers. This is what Governor Ducey envisioned for Arizona state government and what AMS is all about!

Online auctions are a popular vehicle in many states for selling off surplus equipment and vehicles - and ADOT uses them, too. The agency started doing them in 2014 ... and they've been wildly successful. 

Fleet manager Gary Lowe says in 2014, 117 items were auctioned off, bringing in more than $698,000. In 2015, revenue from online auctions totaled $2.3 million.

Although revenues decreased between 2016 and 2019, they jumped again in 2020. That's when ADOT became responsible for auctioning all surplus state vehicles ‒ 952 items were sold for $4.1 million. That number was inflated by a 300 vehicle backlog ADOT inherited from the Arizona Department of Administration.

"For 2020, the average revenue received for each vehicle is 3.8 times higher than the expected Blue Book value," Lowe said. "Customers like state-owned vehicles due to the regular maintenance, no rust. And, used cars are in high demand right now. Revenue usually goes back to the agency that owns the vehicle."

How did this idea get started? "In my prior work with the City of Tucson we had been using online auctions for many years," Lowe said. "When I came to ADOT in 2013, I saw an opportunity to increase sales revenue and make the auction process more efficient."

The projected revenue from such auctions, Lowe says, is expected to increase even more in the next five years - especially with used-vehicle prices increasing.

So, if you're thinking about grabbing a used snowplow or pickup, get more details here. You'll find out how to bid, set up an online account at the site ADOT uses, and much more!

ADOT recently replaced the Rio de Flag bridge right in front of Flagstaff City Hall in just under a week. How were they able to tear down and remove an old bridge and install a new one so quickly?

By using an accelerated bridge construction method where the parts of the new bridge are precast and then put in place like LEGO bricks. Now that Historic Route 66 has reopened to traffic, crews will continue working for the next several weeks to install the bridge barrier and sidewalks and replace the raised median and a portion of concrete pavement on Historic Route 66.

Our video team went up to Flagstaff and took some photos of the new bridge (above) as well as a time-lapse video of its installation (see below). After you check them out, plan a trip to drive over the new bridge yourself.

Rio de Flag Bridge Replacement Time Lapse from ADOT Vimeo-External on Vimeo.

Over the past decade, and likely longer than that, various engineers at ADOT have looked at ways to upgrade the original lighting system in the Interstate 10 Deck Park Tunnel north of downtown Phoenix. Well, by George (or maybe Thomas Edison?), it’s nice to be able to report that the job is done.

ADOT crews have completed the installation of more than 1,500 new LED lights inside the I-10 Tunnel, which will turn 31-years-old in August. The $1.4 million project actually involved the switching of fixtures - new ones holding the LED lights replaced old ones that had held now outdated high pressure sodium bulbs - with work done during staggered overnight freeway closures over the past several months. 

In addition to the improved lighting providing a safety enhancement, ADOT anticipates the use of LED lights in the tunnel will reduce energy consumption by more than 60 percent and produce more than $175,000 in annual energy savings. So far the savings have been slightly better than those figures.

The new LED bulbs produce an improved, brighter white light in the tunnel compared to the outdated yellow-toned high pressure sodium lights that have been replaced. Since LED lights last longer than the high pressure sodium bulbs, crews will not have to replace them as often.

ADOT also worked to get the new lighting project done faster than anticipated. The agency recruited employees from across the state to come to Phoenix to help speed the installation work. That meant fewer overnight freeway closures, savings on the traffic control signs and barricades needed for closures as well as less inconvenience for drivers who have to detour when closures are in place.

As with the old lighting system, the improved LED tunnel lights are now set at appropriate transitioning levels during daylight and nighttime hours to allow a driver’s vision to adapt given outside lighting levels. For example, the system runs fewer lights at night because of lower nighttime light levels outside the tunnel.

So the next time you drive in the I-10 Deck Park Tunnel we hope you’ll notice the improved lighting. We certainly think the better lighting was worth the wait - and the hard work that went into making it all possible.