PHOENIX – Recent improvements to the Arizona Department of Transportation website mean Motor Vehicle Division customers now have more information about wait times, office operating hours, service changes and other important items available to them online.

Technological advances introduced earlier this month at azdot.gov include changes to the Motor Vehicle Division Hours and Locations page.

Customers who visit this page will see each office listed alphabetically by city or town. Each office has a display listing the location’s normal operating hours, the current estimated wait time, the number of people currently waiting, information about the latest times to arrive for services such as road tests and vehicle inspections, scheduled service changes and other information as needed.

“This is a more complete and customer-friendly way to showcase the status of each office in real time,” said MVD Stakeholder Relations Manager Jennifer Bowser Richards. “Using the principles of the Arizona Management System, we’re always striving to make it as convenient as possible for our customers to do business at our offices. These website changes, which are fully optimized for smart devices, help us accomplish our vision to get Arizona out of line and safely on the road.”

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd.

PHOENIX – To enhance safety and manage traffic through the bridge improvement project along Interstate 15 in the Virgin River Gorge, the Arizona Department of Transportation is using a first-of-its-kind alert system to help reduce emergency braking and collisions.

With I-15 reduced to one lane in each direction during construction, traffic begins to queue during peak travel times and holidays. A queue warning system that includes portable message boards informs drivers of stop-and-go traffic ahead using equipment that detects traffic in real-time. 

With advance notice, drivers can anticipate heavy traffic, slow down and avoid erratic behavior, helping reduce collisions in the queue.

While this is the first time the system has been used on an ADOT project, going forward the agency intends to use it on projects creating similar traffic conditions.

The $6.4 million bridge improvement project is resurfacing the decks of Bridge No. 2 and Bridge No. 5 in I-15, while Bridge No. 4 is receiving a new deck. 

The project is scheduled to wrap up next spring.

For more information, please visit azdot.gov/projects and click on the North Central District.

PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey has honored Arizona Highways and Arizona State Parks and Trails with his Good Government Award for a collaboration that includes a one-year subscription to the magazine when someone purchases an annual parks pass.

The award celebrates innovations stemming from the Arizona Management System, which empowers all state employees to continually improve processes and value to customers.

Arizona Highways, published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, has added 12,500 subscribers since the promotion launched in July 2018, while the magazine promotes standard and premium annual passes available from Arizona State Parks and Trails. Additionally, Arizona State Parks and Trails has seen a nearly 11% increase in pass sales and promotes Arizona Highways magazine on its website, via social media channels, in parks and on vehicles throughout the state.

The partnership has helped both the magazine and Arizona State Parks and Trails better promote travel and tourism around Arizona.

“Governor Ducey has set a goal of making Arizona the No. 1 place to visit and recreate,” said Kelly Mero, publisher of Arizona Highways. “This innovative partnership developed using tools from the Arizona Management System has helped increase awareness of our state’s hidden gems and encourage visitors and residents alike to get out and explore Arizona.”

Using structured problem-solving under the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Ducey, representatives of Arizona Highways and Arizona State Parks and Trails identified needs and goals as well as responsibilities and roles. One key to this effective collaboration was Arizona Highways developing a strong understanding of Arizona State Parks and Trails’ membership model and customers.

“This partnership showcases what two agencies can do when they work together toward a common goal,” said Bob Broscheid, executive director of Arizona State Parks and Trails. “Combining the 35 state parks with the gorgeous photography and amazing storytelling found in Arizona Highways Magazine is a natural fit and a great collaboration.”

For more information on annual passes available from Arizona State Parks and Trails, or on any of the 35 state parks, please visit azstateparks.com.

Arizona Highways, known internationally for showcasing state’s landscapes, wildlife and history through stunning photography and compelling stories, has subscribers in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. It also publishes a variety of books and calendars. To learn more or to subscribe, please visit ArizonaHighways.com.

To learn more about how the Arizona Management System helps ADOT deliver value every day for Arizonans, please visit azdot.gov/AMS.

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.