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.

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.

PHOENIX – When a project isn’t using some or all of the funding committed to it because it’s become inactive, freeing that money as quickly as possible means the Arizona Department of Transportation can move forward sooner with other work that’s ready to go.

That’s the goal behind a comprehensive effort to reduce what is known formally as ADOT’s inactive projects balance. This balance is comprised of ADOT projects and local projects that haven’t used any of the funding committed to them in more than 180 days.

At its peak, ADOT’s inactive projects balance stood at $160 million, representing money committed to about 3,000 individual project phases including design, right-of-way acquisition and construction.

Today, ADOT employees responsible for project funding have reduced that balance to $50.4 million and are continuing to develop ways to reduce it even further.

“To some, it may sound like an achievement that only an accountant could love, but reducing our inactive projects balance is a win for all Arizonans,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “This allows us to be more nimble in getting limited transportation funding to other projects that will improve the quality of life in this state.”

The most common reasons for projects becoming inactive include requesting funding too far in advance of needing to spend it, a local agency not invoicing ADOT in a timely manner and representatives failing to notify ADOT that a project or project phase is complete.

“Working across ADOT divisions and with local partners, our employees have identified problems that contribute to the inactive projects balance and developed sustainable improvements,” said Kristine Ward, ADOT’s Chief Financial Officer. “We have a clear path and process for continuing to reduce this balance and get even more projects going sooner.”

This effort is aligned with the agency’s use of the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Doug Ducey. It calls for all employees to identify ways to improve continuously improve processes and their value to customers.

The improvements include ADOT tracking inactive projects weekly and examining each project phase rather than the whole project when determining what has become inactive. Each month, a website lists inactive projects and projects that will be considered inactive in 30 days.

Employees developed a new policy on inactive projects spelling out that funding authorization should be requested only when a project phase is ready to proceed and providing a consistent process for closing out projects. ADOT representatives have made presentations about the policy and procedures at meetings of local government leaders in addition to conducting webinars for ADOT staff and those with local agencies.

Looking to reduce the inactive projects balance even further, ADOT now is focusing on ways to streamline the process for closing out project phases so the remaining committed funds can be released sooner.

Learn more about how the Arizona Management System works at ADOT by visiting azdot.gov/AMS.

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.

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.

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.

PHOENIX – In another example of the Arizona Management System producing results for taxpayers, the Arizona Department of Transportation recouped $6.6 million for damage to the state highway system during the fiscal year that ended June 30. That’s more than double what the agency recovered four years before and reflects continuous increases since then.

ADOT accomplishes this through its Insurance Recovery Unit, which has a goal of saving Arizonans from bearing the cost of repairs when individuals or firms are responsible for damage to the highway system. Comprised of professionals with insurance industry backgrounds, the unit reaches out to the responsible parties and their insurance carriers to recover the repair costs, which include labor, equipment and materials.

The money recovered goes into the State Highway Fund.

One case of damage that made headlines last year illustrates the value of this work: An over-height vehicle struck a girder and sign at the Interstate 17 bridge over Seventh Avenue in Phoenix (show in the photo), requiring extensive repairs along with traffic restrictions. The Insurance Recovery Unit has documented $361,430.15 in repair costs so far, and the recovery process will begin when the final total is available in the coming weeks.

“Making sure those who damage state property are held accountable protects Arizona’s investment in its highway system,” said Ted Howard, deputy director for ADOT’s Administrative Services Division, which includes the Insurance Recovery Unit. “Applying principles of the Arizona Management System has enabled us to dramatically increase insurance recovery to the benefit of Arizonans.”

Championed by Governor Doug Ducey, the Arizona Management System challenges every state employee to continuously look for ways to improve agencies’ value to customers, including taxpayers.

Process improvements within the Insurance Recovery Unit include reorganizing operations to have separate teams tasked with researching responsible parties, sending requests and negotiating the final amounts recovered. Before that, each adjuster in the unit handled all aspects of a claim.

“Now we have the best individuals in the right jobs,” said Jim Cupp, who leads the Insurance Recovery Unit. “The efficiency of this model has allowed us to greatly increase recoveries with the same number of employees.”

In fiscal 2014, the unit processed 1,400 claims to recoup more than $3.1 million in damage to the state highway system. For fiscal 2018, the unit handled 2,652 claims to recover $6.58 million. That’s up from $5.41 million in fiscal 2017 and $4.94 million in fiscal 2016.

The recovery process begins when law enforcement responds to an incident in which guardrail, a bridge or some component of the highway system has been damaged. The officer will mark the damaged item with a sticker that has the incident report number on it. When ADOT is notified of the damage and makes the repair, a member of the Insurance Recovery Unit will contact the responsible party or their insurer to file a claim.

Since July 2013, ADOT’s Insurance Recovery Unit has processed more than 12,000 claims.