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Pardon our dust, we’re moving that bridge in Florence

Pardon our dust, we’re moving that bridge in Florence

Pardon our dust, we’re moving that bridge in Florence

By Garin Groff / ADOT Communications

January 20, 2023

This new bridge might seem unimpressive because it’s only one lane, but it’s got one unexpected trick up its sleeve.

It was built to travel -- at least a few feet -- and that’s what it’s going to do this weekend, Jan. 20-23.

Yes, ADOT is moving this new smallish concrete roadway section as part of an innovative way of replacing a bridge by sliding it into place, piece by piece. The process is continuing as we work on the second and final weekend of moving the structure’s components on State Route 79 in Florence.

Last weekend, Jan. 14-15, crews slid five of these segments into place to make up the northbound lane. And this weekend, we’ll move five sections of the southbound lane. Each segment spans 300 feet in length -- that’s as long as a football field.

We’ve already discussed how the bridge slide process works, but we’d like to offer a final reminder about his weekend’s activity. And that the work will mean travel delays.

Traffic at the bridge over the Gila River will be narrowed to a single lane of alternating travel, regulated by a temporary signal. The restriction is planned from 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, through 5 a.m., Monday, Jan. 23.

By Monday morning, Jan. 23, all sections of the new bridge should be in their permanent home and taking one lane of traffic in each direction.

Drivers should expect occasional but minor restrictions in the next few months as work crews wrap things up. Once all the dust has settled, the new, 1,500-foot-long bridge will feature one travel lane in each direction, 8-foot-wide shoulders and a protected pedestrian walkway. You can find out more about the work on the SR 79 bridge replacement project page.

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Innovative method will slide new SR 79 bridge into place in Florence

Innovative method will slide new SR 79 bridge into place in Florence

Innovative method will slide new SR 79 bridge into place in Florence

January 12, 2023

FLORENCE - A new bridge will be moved into its permanent home starting this Friday evening in Florence, where crews will work around the clock the following two weekends to slide sections of a new structure in place above the Gila River.

This innovative bridge slide process will require lane restrictions on State Route 79 that are expected to cause delays both weekends. Motorists should plan ahead for the work and consider alternate routes.

The restrictions are scheduled from 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, to 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, and again from 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, through 5 a.m. Monday, Jan. 23. During both weekends, only one lane of traffic will be able to cross the bridge at a time. Temporary signals will be placed at either end of the bridge to regulate traffic.

Crews began work on the new $22.1 million bridge in February 2022 by constructing new piers under the existing structure. Then, new bridge segments were constructed on either side of the existing bridge. Once traffic was shifted to the new sections, the existing bridge in the center was dismantled to make room for the new structure to be slid into place. An animation of the construction phasing and bridge slide is available on the SR 79 project page.

Once the new structure is in place later this month, drivers should expect ongoing construction work on and near the bridge to complete the project. Occasional lane restrictions are possible.

ADOT has used this innovative bridge slide method in the past as one way to reduce construction delays for drivers. In 2020, ADOT replaced the Fourth Street bridge over Interstate 40 in Flagstaff by sliding the new structure in position, one year after a similar project to replace the Bellemont bridges at I-40 and Hughes Avenue west of Flagstaff.

For more information, please visit the SR 79 bridge replacement project page.

Number of AZ MVD Now accounts now exceeds 3 million

Number of AZ MVD Now accounts now exceeds 3 million

Number of AZ MVD Now accounts now exceeds 3 million

July 14, 2022

PHOENIX – More than 3 million Arizonans have discovered the safest, fastest and most convenient way to complete services with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.

Since launching in April 2020, more than 3 million Arizonans have activated their free AZMVDNow.gov account, giving them access to the primary online portal for MVD customers.

“Advances in technology continue to provide conveniences and AZMVDNow.gov does that and so much more.” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “With the AZ MVD Now portal, MVD offers more web-based services than ever before with more levels of security and that’s a big win for Arizonans.”

Here are some of the things you can do with your AZ MVD Now account:

View information related to your vehicle, including title status, registration status, and MVD service history.
Complete more than 30 services, like registration renewals, ordering a duplicate license, change of address, update insurance, title transfers, sold notices and more.
Schedule your own in-office Travel ID appointment, and beat the May 3, 2023 deadline.

Every Arizonan with a credential – a driver license or identification card – or a vehicle registered in Arizona has an AZ MVD Now account. To activate the account, go to AZMVDNow.gov and follow the prompts. AZ MVD Now accounts are free and protected by several security protocols that are explained on the site and in an accompanying “how to” video.

Kaizen: Making changes for the better

Kaizen: Making changes for the better

Kaizen: Making changes for the better

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

July 14, 2022

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!

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Don’t burn bridges, unless they're rebuilt with innovative techniques

Don’t burn bridges, unless they're rebuilt with innovative techniques

Don’t burn bridges, unless they're rebuilt with innovative techniques

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

July 6, 2022

They say it’s a good idea not to burn your bridges, and I’m inclined to agree. But if you’re going to replace it with a brand-spanking new bridge, then why not?

Another new bridge replaced an older one in the A-1 Mountain Road overpass over I-40 in west Flagstaff. Using innovative construction methods, ADOT was able to demolish and replace the bridge in less than 40 days.

In fact, new bridges have been popping up all over northern Arizona. The A-1 Mountain Road Bridge joins these new bridges that were built in the last few years:

Rio de Flag Bridge in downtown Flagstaff
I-40 bridges over Business 40 in west Flagstaff
Fourth Street Bridge in east Flagstaff
Meteor City Road Bridges near Meteor Crater
I-40 Hughes Avenue Bridge to Bellemont

Many of these bridges were replaced using time-saving techniques that cut down on traffic impacts, like precasting bridge elements off-site, the bridge-slide method and geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system.

Have gone a bridge too far?

Just wait as ADOT continues to work on replacing the I-40 bridges at Pineveta Draw near Ash Fork, the I-15 Virgin River Bridge No. 1 in the northwest corner of Arizona and the Lukachukai and Agua Sal North bridges along US 191 in the Navajo community of Round Rock.

ADOT is also rehabilitating bridges along I-40 at Hermosa Drive in Holbrook, Seligman at Exit 123 and Anvil Rock Road 11 miles west of Seligman.

Check out more bridge content on our website.

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New A-1 Mountain Road bridge open to traffic ahead of schedule

New A-1 Mountain Road bridge open to traffic ahead of schedule

New A-1 Mountain Road bridge open to traffic ahead of schedule

June 7, 2022

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation has replaced the A-1 Mountain Road bridge in west Flagstaff ahead of schedule thanks to an innovative bridge construction method. The new bridge was opened to traffic Tuesday, June 7.

Crews used an accelerated bridge construction method known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system. Utilizing this method benefits drivers with a serious savings in construction time, allowing the project to be completed sooner than traditional methods. The A-1 Mountain Road bridge was demolished and replaced in a little over a month.

Crews will return later this month to put down final striping and roadway markings on the bridge. That process will require ramp restrictions.

ADOT first employed this innovative technique a few years ago when the agency replaced the Meteor City Road bridge over I-40 east of Flagstaff.

The $4.9 million project is located about 5 miles west of the I-17 junction along I-40.

For more information on the project, visit azdot.gov/i40-A1-Mountain.

A-1 Mountain Road bridge to be replaced in 40 days thanks to innovation

A-1 Mountain Road bridge to be replaced in 40 days thanks to innovation

A-1 Mountain Road bridge to be replaced in 40 days thanks to innovation

April 22, 2022

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation will demolish and replace the A-1 Mountain Road overpass along I-40 in Flagstaff in 40 days thanks to an innovative bridge construction method.

Crews will use an accelerated bridge construction method known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system. That means crews will create bridge abutments by putting in alternating layers of granular fill reinforced with synthetic material.

In order to replace the bridge, A-1 Mountain Road will be closed to all traffic over I-40 starting Monday, May 2.

During the 40-day closure, drivers will need to use the established detour route. Eastbound I-40 drivers wanting to exit A-1 Mountain Road will be detoured to Exit 191 to turn around and travel west to access A-1 Mountain Road. Drivers on A-1 Mountain Road who want to travel eastbound on I-40 will first travel westbound on I-40 and exit Hughes Avenue (Exit 185) to turn around and travel eastbound.

I-40 will also close overnight at the location of the bridge 16 times in each direction between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. during the 40-day closure so crews can demolish the current bridge and construct the framework for the new bridge. Traffic will use the off- and on-ramps to detour around the closure.

Utilizing this method benefits drivers with a serious savings in construction time, allowing the project to be completed sooner than traditional methods. In addition, a new bridge deck will be constructed using a polyester polymer concrete that can be placed and cured in a matter of days rather than weeks.

The closure is expected to be lifted by Friday, June 10.

ADOT first employed this innovative technique a few years ago when the agency replaced the Meteor City Road bridge over I-40 east of Flagstaff.

The $4.9 million project, located about 5 miles west of the I-17 junction along I-40, is anticipated to be completed by this fall.

For more information on the project, visit azdot.gov/i40-A1-Mountain.

In Florence, we’re building a bridge that’s designed to move

In Florence, we’re building a bridge that’s designed to move

In Florence, we’re building a bridge that’s designed to move

By Garin Groff / ADOT Communications

April 7, 2022

When ADOT builds a new bridge, our top priority is to make sure the gigantic mass of steel and concrete stays right where we build it.

But that won’t be the case with a new bridge we’re constructing on State Route 79 in Florence, because this bridge is designed to move.

Or more precisely, slide.

This new bridge’s mobile nature will be only temporary, however, as part of an innovative method of constructing a new bridge by assembling the new structure’s components next to the old bridge and then sliding them into place.

The process begins by constructing new bridge piers in the bed of the Gila River. The piers will be extra wide so the new structure’s components can be built in halves on either side of the old bridge. Once the new segments are complete, crews will tear out the old bridge and slide each half of the new structure where the existing bridge now stands.

ADOT has slid new bridges into the place of old ones before, including a 2020 project to replace the Fourth Street bridge over Interstate 40 in Flagstaff.

By sliding a bridge into place, ADOT can keep traffic moving with minimal delays during construction. Both lanes of traffic will remain open during the SR 79 project, except for two weekends when the bridge halves are slid into place. On both weekends, a temporary traffic signal will restrict traffic to one lane in each direction.

The existing bridge was built in 1957-58 and has reached the end of its useful life. When ADOT began planning for a replacement, engineers had several options for its construction.

One common method involves building the new bridge next to the old one, which was the case when ADOT replaced the Pinto Creek bridge on US 60 between Globe and Miami. That option was ruled out for the Florence bridge project because of the additional cost to buy right-of-way and shift the road to the new structure.

Another approach is replacing the bridge one half at a time, which is how ADOT replaced the SR 77 bridge in Winkelman. That option would have meant only one lane of traffic would remain open during the project, which would have led to excessive delays because SR 79 carries significantly more traffic than the highway through Winkelman.

No matter what method ADOT chooses to replace a bridge, our goal is to maintain a safe and reliable transportation system while minimizing delays for motorists. In the case of the project in Florence, drivers should look for a reduced speed limit in the work zone and watch for traffic alerts when the bridge slides require two weekends of lane restrictions.

Learn more about the project and stay up to date by checking out the SR 79 bridge replacement project page.

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Arizonans are first in the nation to add driver licenses to Apple Wallet

Arizonans are first in the nation to add driver licenses to Apple Wallet

Arizonans are first in the nation to add driver licenses to Apple Wallet

March 23, 2022

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division embraces the motto, “Out of the line and safely on the road.” This is a nod to MVD’s commitment to putting Arizonans first by reducing in-office wait times and offering customers a growing number of digital options.

Today, ADOT MVD is aiming higher – literally – and that motto could easily be revised to “out of the line and safely in the sky.”

That’s because Arizona is the first state in the nation whose residents, beginning today, can add their MVD-issued driver license or state ID card to Apple Wallet on an iPhone or Apple Watch and securely present it as a valid ID at select TSA airport security checkpoints at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“With this technology, Arizonans are at the front of the line for experiencing a streamlined airport security process,” Governor Doug Ducey said. “This puts our state at the leading edge of a new technology that offers choice, convenience, privacy and security.”

After adding a driver license or state ID to Apple Wallet, upon arriving at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, travelers can use Apple Wallet to present their ID at designated TSA airport security checkpoints.

“Arizona is proud to be the first state to give our residents the choice to add their ID to Apple Wallet,” Arizona MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “We will continue to seek out opportunities for products and services that provide Arizonans security, privacy and ease of use.”

At this time, an Arizona driver license or state ID in Apple Wallet can be used to present a resident’s ID only at select TSA airport security checkpoints. This is a new technology and its use case will grow over time. Arizona residents should continue to carry their physical, plastic driver license or state ID card to use in other situations, including with law enforcement.

For more information on Arizona driver licenses and state IDs in Apple Wallet, please

visit azdot.gov/AppleWallet and https://apple.co/wallet-id

How to add a driver license or state ID to Apple Wallet

Adding a driver license or state ID to Apple Wallet can be done in just a few simple steps. Arizona residents can tap the + button at the top of the screen in Apple Wallet on their iPhone, select “Driver’s License or State ID” and follow the on-screen instructions to start the set-up and verification process. You will need your physical MVD-issued driver license or ID card to add it to Apple Wallet.

Driver’s license and state ID in Apple Wallet is available on iPhone 8 or later running iOS 15.4, and Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.4 or later.

How to use your Arizona ID in Apple Wallet at the airport

Arizona residents can present their driver license or state ID at participating TSA airport security checkpoints by simply tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch at the identity reader. Upon tapping their iPhone or Apple Watch, customers will see a prompt on their device displaying which specific information is being requested by the TSA. Only after authorizing with Face ID or Touch ID is the requested identity information released from their device. Information is all shared digitally, so residents do not need to show or hand over their device to present their ID.

Your Arizona driver license or state ID in Apple Wallet is secure

State IDs and driver licenses in Wallet are private and secure. If a resident loses their iPhone or Apple Watch, they can use the “Find My” app to easily lock their device and help locate it, or remotely erase their device.

Identity data is encrypted and protected against tampering and theft. The MVD and Apple do not know when or where residents present their IDs. Biometric authentication using Face ID and Touch ID ensures that only the person who added the ID to the device can view or present their ID or license in Apple Wallet.

Work begins to replace SR 79 bridge at Gila River in Florence

Work begins to replace SR 79 bridge at Gila River in Florence

Work begins to replace SR 79 bridge at Gila River in Florence

March 10, 2022

FLORENCE - The Arizona Department of Transportation has begun a project to replace the State Route 79 bridge over the Gila River in Florence, using an innovative process that will minimize traffic restrictions and delays.

ADOT is using an accelerated bridge construction technique that will involve building the new bridge in two halves on either side of the existing structure, then sliding the sections into place. New piers will be constructed under the existing bridge to support the new structure as part of a process that will keep the bridge open while construction crews can work with only minimal disruption to traffic on SR 79.

The new bridge will include one lane in each direction. Unlike the existing structure, the new one will include 8-foot shoulders and a protected pedestrian walkway on the bridge’s west side.

The $22.1 million project is expected to take about 18 months. During construction, drivers should expect a reduced speed limit but few other lane restrictions or delays. Also, some oversized vehicles may need to use an alternate route. For safety purposes, pedestrians, bicyclists and offroad vehicles are asked to stay out of the work zone in the riverbed and use an alternate route.

Both lanes of traffic will remain open until the bridge halves are slid into place. That will require two weekends in which the bridge is restricted to a single lane, and a temporary traffic signal will allow only one direction of traffic to flow at a time.

For more information, please visit the SR 79 bridge replacement project page.

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