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Innovative techniques making I-40 bridge replacement faster

Innovative techniques making I-40 bridge replacement faster

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Innovative techniques making I-40 bridge replacement faster

Innovative techniques making I-40 bridge replacement faster

August 5, 2019

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation project replacing the Interstate 40 bridge at Meteor City Road is using innovative techniques that get the work done faster, limit inconvenience for motorists and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

This work, which began in mid-July, is creating abutments by putting in alternating layers of granular fill reinforced with synthetic material. It’s ADOT’s first use of this technique, known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system, to rebuild an overpass.

The approach makes it possible for a bridge replacement that ordinarily would take about six months to wrap up this fall.

Bridges constructed using this method have lower maintenance costs over their life spans and also fit more seamlessly into the roadway approaches, creating a smoother transition from road to bridge.

In addition, the project is constructing a new bridge deck using a polyester polymer concrete that can be placed and cured in a matter of days rather than weeks. This new type of deck provides similar performance with lower maintenance costs compared to a traditional concrete bridge deck.

This method of constructing bridge decks is not only a first for ADOT but for the state.

In addition to replacing the bridge, crews will also reconstruct the roadway approach to the bridge.

The current detour that takes I-40 traffic onto the Meteor City Road off- and on-ramps to move through the work zone will last through mid-August.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up to date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov or call 511.

Temporary ID cards add to web-based MVD transactions

Temporary ID cards add to web-based MVD transactions

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Temporary ID cards add to web-based MVD transactions

Temporary ID cards add to web-based MVD transactions

May 22, 2019

By Doug Nick / ADOT Communications

Having a driver license suspended is a serious matter, to say the least, and the repercussions can go further than restricting someone’s privilege to drive.

Since many people rely on their license as a state-issued ID, having it suspended often means needing a temporary replacement. Fortunately, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has made it less complicated to order a temporary ID card by introducing an online ordering option through ServiceArizona.com.

We know that people often need a valid ID in order to buy items at the store, go to the bank, and apply for a job among other things When customers are faced with a suspended license, it makes having a temporary ID card vital.

By adding this to our growing menu of online services, we’ve eliminated one more reason to be compelled to visit an MVD office. That speeds the process for all of our customers because it reduces traffic at MVD offices so we can better serve everyone who needs to come to one of our locations.

To get a temporary ID card, a customer must first have a suspended Arizona driver license. The expiration date on the suspended license must be beyond the six months the temporary ID is valid. Also, the customer must already have an Arizona license photo that has been taken within the past 12 years on file with MVD in order for the temporary ID to be produced.

To learn more, go to ServiceArizona.com.

Online learner’s permit test has huge first year

Online learner’s permit test has huge first year

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Online learner’s permit test has huge first year

Online learner’s permit test has huge first year

March 20, 2019

PHOENIX – The online Permit Test @ Home has proven to be a major hit for Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division customers, with 83,000 tests taken since the test officially went into operation in March 2018.

The popularity of the test has implications not only for teen drivers and their family members but for all Arizona MVD customers. The Permit Test @ Home eliminates the need for one office visit for the teen, and at least one parent or guardian, to take the test. A visit is needed to obtain the permit itself.

With 83,000 teens and at least one adult avoiding a trip to the MVD, that frees up more office space and time for other customers. This has increased efficiency and improved overall service times, which are among the customer service improvement goals of the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Doug Ducey.

Online innovations such as the Permit Test @ Home have helped MVD reduce the average experience time at an office from nearly 52 minutes in 2015 to about 22 minutes currently.

Potential teen drivers access the test when a parent or guardian sets up a free personal account at AZ MVD Now, which is available through ServiceArizona.com.

The parent or guardian will then register their teen for the Permit Test @ Home and agree to the terms. Teens must be at least 15 years and 6 months old to obtain an instruction permit.  Parents must certify that they will proctor the exam fairly. For teens under the age of 18, the application for an instruction permit or driver license must be signed by a parent or guardian who is responsible for damage caused by negligence or the willful misconduct of the child. 

Potential drivers are still required to pass a road skills test prior to receiving a driver license, and all permit holders must drive with a licensed driver who’s at least 21 years old in the front seat.

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd.

International trucker safety training continues making Arizona roads safer

International trucker safety training continues making Arizona roads safer

I-17 101 traffic interchange

International trucker safety training continues making Arizona roads safer

International trucker safety training continues making Arizona roads safer

February 11, 2019

PHOENIX – An innovative truck safety training program is continuing to make Arizona roads safer 18 months after Arizona Department of Transportation enforcement officers began taking their important messages to Mexican truck drivers south of the border.

More than 11,000 times in the past 18 months, Mexican truck drivers who have completed ADOT’s rigorous, two-day International Border Inspection Qualification have used the agency’s commercial ports of entry in Nogales, San Luis and Douglas. These qualified drivers have been stopped for significant safety violations just 31 times, or once in every 355 crossings.

ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division launched the program, the first by any state department of transportation to provide safety inspection training in Mexico, with a goal of making Arizona roads safer while supporting the flow of commerce. The state-certified law enforcement officers who staff ADOT’s commercial ports of entry along the international border teach drivers and mechanics from Mexico about the safety requirements for driving commercial trucks in Arizona.

The program has been a tremendous success by any measure, including the 576 drivers who have received the qualification, said Tim Lane, director of ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division.

“The improved safety record of drivers who have completed the training shows that our training program is very effective, and that the drivers attending our sessions are taking the process very seriously,” Lane said. “We are making a positive impact on safety on Arizona roads.”

There have been 25 two-day training sessions, and nine more sessions are scheduled over the next seven months. In addition, ADOT officers will offer seven requalification classes – one-day refresher programs for drivers who have completed the International Border Inspection Qualification.

Another innovation allows qualified drivers to communicate with ADOT officers before approaching the border using WhatsApp, a smartphone application. Drivers have used the app 233 times so far, with about 80 percent of those contacts revealing safety violations. Allowing truckers to perform repairs before approaching the border saves companies time and money.

From the Director: A year in review at ADOT

From the Director: A year in review at ADOT

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From the Director: A year in review at ADOT

From the Director: A year in review at ADOT

December 24, 2018

Estrella Roundabout

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

It is hard to believe that we are about to say goodbye to 2018 and ring-in 2019. But, before the calendar page turns to a new year, I want to take the opportunity to highlight just a few accomplishments our Arizona Department of Transportation employees have achieved so far. I am proud of the work we have done. It’s our “Connecting One ADOT” philosophy that exemplifies the true meaning of collaboration and that we work as a system to meet the needs of our customers every day.

So here is a snapshot of what we’ve accomplished in 2018:

  • Halfway through the building of the South Mountain Freeway, the first public-private partnership construction project (P3) and the most expensive in ADOT’s history.
  • Installed the first-in-the-nation wrong-way driver detection system on a 15-mile stretch of Interstate 17, garnering national attention and achieving the desired results of deterring wrong-way drivers from entering the freeway.
  • Received the Government Innovation Award and Best of Class by GCN, an information technology industry magazine, and a runner-up award in the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) inaugural Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Awards for the wrong-way driver detection system.
  • Acknowledged by the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE) inaugural Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSMO) Awards as the winner for Best TSMO Project, Improving an Agency’s TSMO Capabilities, Major Incident or Special Event, and Public Communications for the re-striping and resigning effort on WB US 60.
  • Began installing the first-in-the-nation dust detection system on Interstate 10 between Casa Grande and Tucson.
  • Continuing the environmental study of the future Interstate 11 corridor.
  • Delivered safety campaigns in the form of the “Drive Aware, Get There” Public Service Announcement, and the http, along with another successful safety message contest that generated 2,200 entries and 2,500 votes statewide.
  • Established even shorter wait times at our Motor Vehicle Division offices than last year, expanded office hours and offered new services – Permit Test @ Home and ETitle – with more innovative solutions coming next year.
  • Recognized MVD with the “Improvement through Efficiencies Service” Award by the American Motor Vehicle Administrators Association (AMVAA).
  • Continued to be the national leader in facilitating the development of autonomous vehicle technologies.
  • Reduced inactive project balances by over $100 million by Financial Management Services so ADOT has money to commit to more projects.
  • Trained 1,750 Mexican commercial drivers by our Border Liaison Unit to meet our vehicle safety requirements at the ports of entry and graduated 523 drivers for the International Border Inspection Qualification (IBIQ) program, ensuring efficiency at border inspections.
  • Recovered $6.5 million to restore and repair state highways by our Insurance Recovery Unit.
  • Awarded Medals of Valor to eight employees for their heroic actions, along with 13 Director Pins and 13 Citation Awards for service.
  • Won two first place awards, Best Internal Newsletter and Best Twitter, at TransComm 2018 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials communications subcommittee.
  • Provided transportation logistics, law enforcement coverage and communication support for the late Senator John McCain’s funeral services.

I wish I had more space to list even more accomplishments. It is an honor to work alongside such dedicated public servants who make transportation personal and provide a safe and reliable transportation system for the citizens of Arizona and the traveling public.


This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

Loop 303 is latest freeway to get life-extending pavement treatment

Loop 303 is latest freeway to get life-extending pavement treatment

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Loop 303 is latest freeway to get life-extending pavement treatment

Loop 303 is latest freeway to get life-extending pavement treatment

September 27, 2018

PHOENIX – A long stretch of Loop 303 is the latest to undergo an oil-based treatment to extend the life of the pavement on Valley freeways.

Completed in less than a day over this past weekend, this work represents the most miles of freeway pavement the Arizona Department of Transportation has ever refreshed in a single fog seal project. In all, 21 miles of Loop 303 from I-10 in Goodyear to Happy Valley Parkway in Peoria were treated.

“This process allows us to keep the existing rubberized asphalt pavement in place while saving valuable state highway funds for other improvements,” said Steve Boschen, who directs ADOT’s Infrastructure Delivery and Operations Division. “Similar to changing the oil in your car at regular intervals, this extends the life of the pavement.”

In the past two years, other stretches of Phoenix-area freeways, including I-10, Loop 101 and State Route 51, have also been refreshed with the pavement sealant.

These projects have benefited from employee innovations that help limit how long freeways need to be closed for fog sealing.

For example, ADOT maintenance crews fashioned large diamond-shaped metal covers that are lifted into place by workers in trucks to protect HOV-lane pavement markers when the oil-based sealant is being applied along carpool lanes. This “reverse stencil” saves time and avoids the expense of repainting HOV-lane markers at an estimated cost of $310 each.

ADOT focused on advance planning and assigning adequate resources to limit the length of closures needed for the Loop 303 improvement. Working from both ends of the project’s limits, crews finished applying the pavement seal coat in a matter of hours using a fleet of tank trucks equipped with spray nozzles.

The team also quickly picked up barricades as segments of Loop 303 were ready to reopen in stages during the day. The entire freeway reopened two hours ahead of schedule.

“This was a huge team effort with preparations that started months ago,” said Randy Everett, ADOT’s Central District administrator. “We focused on lessening the impacts on drivers. The timing of getting traffic back on the freeway exceeded expectations. That’s a tribute to all employees who had a hand in getting the job done.”

With 155 lane miles now treated along Loop 303, ADOT is looking ahead to additional pavement treatments in coming years.

“We’ve learned a lot about this type of project, especially when it comes to communication,” said Mark Kilian, ADOT project supervisor. “This involved a lot of coordination to get the closure information out to the public as well as key stakeholders so they could plan on using detour routes. Staff inside the ADOT Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix played a key role in tracking our progress and providing status updates.”

Information about ADOT state highway improvement projects is available at azdot.gov/projects.

ADOT truck safety training expands to maquiladora industry

ADOT truck safety training expands to maquiladora industry

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT truck safety training expands to maquiladora industry

ADOT truck safety training expands to maquiladora industry

September 19, 2018

NOGALES – The Arizona Department of Transportation’s first-of-its-kind international truck safety training program is adding another innovation to its resume: focusing instruction on commercial truckers from the maquiladora industry.

At the request of operators of border-area plants in Mexico making goods for export, ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit recently offered its first International Border Inspection Qualification training session for the maquiladora industry in Hermosillo, capital of the Mexican state of Sonora.

“Expanding to maquiladoras demonstrates that our partners in Mexico see as much value in this safety training as we do,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Interest from the maquiladora industry also means the safety and economic benefits we have seen in this program’s first year will multiply.”

Maquiladora factories import certain material and equipment without duties or tariffs. Goods are assembled, processed or manufactured using that material and then returned to the U.S. The industry employs about 34,000 people in Sonora near the Arizona border.

News-091918-trucks-at-mariposa-poe

ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit developed the International Border Inspection Qualification program to help make Arizona roads safer and to support international trade by training Mexican truck drivers and mechanics – in Mexico – about the safety regulations they must follow to drive on U.S. roads.

The 469 drivers who have completed the training since it began a little more than a year ago have crossed the border nearly 5,500 times but have had only 12 significant safety violations that required trucks to be stopped for repairs.

“Arizona is leading the nation in developing innovative ways to make our ports of entry safer and more efficient - it's been a priority for Governor Ducey since day one,” said Juan Ciscomani, Senior Advisor for Regional and International Affairs to Governor Doug Ducey. “This kind of proactive approach implemented by ADOT and supported by the Arizona-Mexico Commission, under Governor Ducey's leadership, drives Arizona's border to move at the speed of business and supports international commerce in the state."

Following Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance guidelines, which are the standard across the U.S., this training stems from ADOT’s use of the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Ducey to have all employees continuously improve state agencies’ value to their customers.

The Hermosillo session was the 18th held in Mexico since International Border Inspection Qualification training began in summer 2017.

The program also has expanded beyond locations near the Arizona border and Hermosillo, with training offered in Mexicali and Ensenada in Baja California and in Caborca, Sonora, at the request of trucking companies in those areas.

To learn more about ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit and International Border Inspection Qualification training, visit azdot.gov/BLU.

MVD adds basic title transfers to online options

MVD adds basic title transfers to online options

I-17 101 traffic interchange

MVD adds basic title transfers to online options

MVD adds basic title transfers to online options

April 17, 2018

PHOENIX – For many Arizonans, transferring a vehicle title may no longer require a visit to an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division or an Authorized Third Party office.  MVD has unveiled the eTitle online service, which gives many customers the option to do this transaction on their computer, tablet or mobile device.

“Going to an MVD or third-party office can be time-consuming, so having  eTitle available for basic customer-to-customer transactions simplifies the process by allowing many customers to do this online,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “People go online to do their banking, pay bills, file taxes and a lot more, so expanding our digital offerings to include basic title transfers is a common-sense innovation. It’s one more way MVD is getting Arizonans out of line and safely on the road.”

A basic transfer is one in which the seller must be an individual owner, or two or more owners who have the “or” legal status. The vehicle must be titled and registered in Arizona and have no liens or brands (such as salvage title). The buyer must be an individual owner with an Arizona credential.

With eTitle, the first step is for the buyer and seller to each set up a personal account at AZ MVD Now, an online portal available through ServiceArizona.com where customers establish a secure online account to do multiple MVD transactions.

AZ MVD Now uses multi-factor security protocols requiring an account to be password-protected and verified by sending the customer a text or phone message to verify the security code. Out-of-state residents cannot use the system.

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The eTitle process should not begin until after shopping and negotiations are done, and both parties are ready.  It takes just a few minutes but customers are given 24 hours to complete the process.

eTitle guides the buyer and seller through the process and once completed, the title information is verified and updated in the MVD database. Paper titles are more susceptible to fraud, so eTitle is a consumer protection enhancement as well as a convenience.

With the transfer complete, the buyer can print a temporary registration at home as well as the temporary paper license plate to be displayed on the vehicle until the permanent plate is sent to the buyer. The buyer finalizes the transaction by paying applicable title and registration fees to the MVD.

The MVD does not have any role in the actual sale of the vehicle such as determining the price.

For more information: azdot.gov/eTitle.

How much has the MVD office experience improved? Ask our customers

How much has the MVD office experience improved? Ask our customers

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How much has the MVD office experience improved? Ask our customers

How much has the MVD office experience improved? Ask our customers

March 21, 2018

By Dani Weber / ADOT Communications

The many process improvements that Motor Vehicle Division offices have adopted have resulted in drastically reduced wait times.

Instead of a computerized voice calling customers to open windows, MVD customer service representatives work the lines to make sure everyone is prepared with all the necessary forms and identification necessary for their transactions.

The changes are having a big impact and people all across Arizona are starting to notice.

In our video above, people who visited MVD locations talk about the changes. And with additional services offered online at ServiceArizona.com and at ServiceArizona kiosks in select locations, customers are able to do many of the most common transactions much faster and at their leisure.

“One hundred percent better now,” noted one customer."

“This used to be a long wait and it isn’t anymore,” said another customer.

Earlier opening times now permanent at 11 more Arizona MVD offices

Earlier opening times now permanent at 11 more Arizona MVD offices

I-17 101 traffic interchange

Earlier opening times now permanent at 11 more Arizona MVD offices

Earlier opening times now permanent at 11 more Arizona MVD offices

February 26, 2018

PHOENIX – Opening Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices at 7:30 a.m. has proven to be a popular success at an additional 11 locations where expanded hours have improved overall customer service.

The change is now permanent at offices in Apache Junction, Bullhead City, Casa Grande, Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Nogales, Prescott, Show Low and Yuma.

“It works. Because the doors open at 7:30 instead of 8 o’clock, we have fewer people lined up to be the first in line,’’ said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “Our employees’ schedules can be more flexible, which means we have more people available to serve customers at the busiest times such as the lunch hour. It also means we process paperwork faster. That cuts down on the need for workers to catch up on those tasks at the end of the day, which significantly lowers overtime hours and saves taxpayer dollars.”

The expanded hours were first tested in Tucson beginning in mid-2016 and resulted in shorter customer wait times and lower overtime costs, leading the program to be expanded to the Phoenix area as well. These initiatives stem from the implementation of the Arizona Management System, which empowers employees at every level of state agencies to come up with new innovations to help government serve customers more efficiently.

The added daily hours also allow MVD to proceed with a program to continually train Customer Service Representatives as the agency modernizes its infrastructure. On the second Wednesday of each month, MVD offices will open at noon to allow time for employee continuing education programs.

For more information: www.azdot.gov/mvd