PHOENIX – A popular smartphone messaging app is helping to make Arizona roads safer for motorists and truck drivers while reducing congestion at the international border and boosting Arizona’s economy.

As part of a first-of-its-kind safety certification program for truck drivers and trucking firms in Mexico, the Arizona Department of Transportation is using WhatsApp to help qualified drivers and mechanics know whether their trucks meet Arizona safety requirements before heading to the border.

It’s part of an effort that has members of ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit offering a two-day International Border Inspection Qualification safety course in Mexico. The first workshop was held recently in San Luis Río Colorado, and the next is scheduled for Aug. 22-23 in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora.

“We’re taking this historic step because a border crossing process that is efficient for international commerce and improves roadway safety is absolutely essential for both Arizona and Sonora,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “This innovative program is part of an ongoing effort to make sure we are doing our jobs the best way possible in the interest of both economic growth and safety on Arizona roads.”

Drivers who complete the course and pass both a 65-question test and a practical exam of truck safety will receive a certificate allowing them to use WhatsApp to send photos of trucks to ADOT inspectors before they approach the border. Inspectors will either tell them the truck meets safety requirements or explain what needs to be corrected.

It’s an extension of an effort launched in 2016 to teach commercial truckers in Mexico what to expect in safety inspections once they enter Arizona. The Border Liaison Unit held safety inspection classes at three border ports of entry – San Luis, Nogales and Douglas – before taking its training program into Mexico.

These efforts stem from ADOT’s use of the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Doug Ducey. This approach to continuous improvement empowers employees at state agencies to come up with innovative ways to better serve customers.

Juan Ciscomani, the governor’s senior adviser for regional and international affairs, praised ADOT’s efforts.

“ADOT is conducting trainings focused on helping transportation companies better prepare for the safety inspection process once they enter Arizona,” Ciscomani said. “This work is helping speed up the flow of trade and improving the competitiveness of our region, which has been a priority for Governor Ducey.”

PHOENIX ‒ A bright idea by Arizona Department of Transportation employees delivers clearer messages on overhead electronic signs along state highways, while saving taxpayer dollars.

As part of ADOT’s commitment to continuous improvement, employees developed a retrofit kit to replace old halogen light bulbs with state-of-the-art LED lighting for message signs that provide drivers with information about highway conditions, incidents and travel times. Such an improvement, referred to in continuous improvement as kaizen, reduces waste, improves safety or, in the case of this employee-driven idea, accomplishes both.

“The LED system is a brighter, clearer light, so it’s easier to see the signs and read the messages,” said Chuck Hill, ADOT traffic signals and lighting supervisor.

Rather than replacing an older message board when the need arises, at a cost of $300,000, ADOT crews replace the original halogen bulbs and mechanical shutters that had been used to create messages. The cost for a retrofit is significantly lower, at about $42,000 per message board.

Each upgrade replaces 20-year-old technology that requires monthly maintenance. In addition, the maker of the existing boards has gone out of business, so no replacement parts are available.

The LED system uses 60 percent less energy, resulting in an annual savings of about $1,000 per sign.

Forty-five message boards in the Phoenix area have been retrofitted since 2014, and many other signs around the state have received or will receive the upgrade.

As ADOT retrofits message boards, drivers get clearer messages delivered by more reliable signs.

PHOENIX – With graffiti an ongoing threat to interstate freeway signs mounted on overpasses, an Arizona Department of Transportation employee invented an inexpensive metal shield that helps keep vandals and their spray paint at bay.

In ADOT’s culture of continuous improvement, this innovation by Interstate Signing Supervisor Dudley Heller is referred to as kaizen, something enhancing productivity, safety, efficiency and more.

Heller’s aluminum shield extends diagonally away from the sides of signs like a hood, making it difficult for would-be graffiti artists to reach around

“It’s worked quite well,” Heller said.

For an investment of $17.50 per square foot, the shields protect taxpayers’ investment in signs that cost as much as $10,000 to replace.

The shields protect drivers, as spray paint damages the reflective coating on signs and makes them harder to read at night. They also make things safer for ADOT workers, who’d have to replace damaged signs on overpasses.

So far, ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division (TSMO) has installed the shields on signs along freeways including Interstate 10, State Route 51 and US 60 in the Phoenix area and Interstate 19 in Tucson.

“We’ve saved a lot of money by doing this, not to mention the unsightliness of the graffiti being out there,” Heller said. 

PHOENIX — If you get into a crash with another vehicle and the driver is at fault, you expect the damages to be covered by the other person or their insurance company. Because the Arizona Department of Transportation has the same expectation, $2.9 million in highway damages was recovered in 2012.

ADOT has an Insurance Recovery Unit that is made up of insurance industry professionals who are responsible for recouping the cost of damages to the state highway system. The recovered repair costs, which include labor, equipment and materials, go back into the state highway fund. This saves taxpayers from shouldering the expense of repairing accidental or negligent damages done to the highway system and puts the burden on the responsible party and their insurance carrier.

The recovery process begins when law enforcement responds to an incident where guardrail or some component of the highway system was damaged. The officer will mark the damaged item with a sticker that has the police report number on it. ADOT maintenance is then notified of the damage and makes the repair. A member of the Insurance Recovery Unit will utilize the police report to contact the individual or their insurance company to file a claim.

“Insurance recovery is a key component to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Sonya Herrera, safety and risk management director. “The person who damages state property should be accountable for the associated cost of repairs. This unit helps ensure that this happens.”   

A recent example of insurance recovery was the damage done to the Jefferson Street overpass along Interstate 17 in downtown Phoenix last October. After the driver of a semi involved in the hit-and-run damage to the bridge was identified, the Insurance Recovery Unit set to work managing the claim with both the driver and his insurance company. More than $56,000 has been recovered for the damage to the overpass.

Over the past four years, ADOT has processed more than 8,500 claims.

“The work these individuals do is outstanding,” said Herrera. “They help save taxpayers millions of dollars each year.”