PHOENIX – After asphalt lanes get a rejuvenating seal designed to reduce cracking and extend the life of pavement, an innovation by Arizona Department of Transportation employees allows crews to reopen freeways faster.

Using scrap metal, ADOT maintenance workers fashioned what’s essentially a reverse stencil – a diamond-shaped template that keeps the oil-based seal off of white HOV markings within lanes. They also designed a metal arm to lift and transport the template from one HOV diamond to the next.

While applying the seal doesn’t affect lane striping, HOV markers within lanes once had to be repainted before a freeway could reopen. In addition to shortening the full closures required to apply the seal, saving the time and money needed to repaint HOV markings adds up to $310 for each diamond.

According to Mark Kilian, an ADOT highway operations technical supervisor, using the reverse stencil usually involves two trucks, each transporting and placing one template. This process improvement, he said, is designed to better serve drivers, who are ADOT’s customers.

This innovation is another example of ADOT’s commitment to continuous improvement through the Arizona Management System (AMS) championed by Governor Doug Ducey. AMS challenges all employees to identify and develop ways to deliver more value for taxpayers.

“Every time that we are successful at something like this,” Kilian said, “it gives us even more motivation to go out and find new innovation and ideas to help us make processes easier.”

For more information on ADOT’s culture of continuous improvement, visit azdot.gov.

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation safety training program for commercial vehicle drivers using international ports of entry is proving so popular with trucking companies and government officials in Mexico that ADOT has doubled the number of training sessions planned for this fall.

“Trade with Mexico is one way our highways are Key Commerce Corridors that drive Arizona’s economy,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “With the support of officials in Sonora, Mexico, we are expanding a program that’s boosting international commerce while ensuring that commercial vehicles are safe.

Tim Lane, director of ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division, which conducts truck safety inspections at commercial ports of entry, said 46 commercial vehicle drivers attended the International Border Inspection Qualification program in the Sonoran capital of Hermosillo on Aug. 22 and 23.

Representatives from the Sonora governor’s office attended the event in Hermosillo, including Natalia Rivera Grijalva, chief of staff for Governor Claudia Artemiza Pavlovich Arellano, and Secretary Ricardo Martínez Terrazas for the Department of Infrastructure and Urban Development of Sonora. The event was covered by local newspapers, television and radio.

The program teaches commercial vehicle drivers what to expect during safety inspections when they enter Arizona through ports at San Luis, Nogales and Douglas. Including sessions in San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico, and Douglas, 89 drivers have completed training and testing in the program’s first six weeks.

Commercial vehicle drivers who pass examinations at the end of the program are able to communicate with ADOT safety inspectors using WhatsApp, a popular smartphone messaging app. Qualified drivers can send photos of potential safety issues to inspectors, who tell them whether the photos show violations and, if so, how to correct them. Commercial vehicle drivers who have participated in IBIQ training can use WhatsApp at the border ports of entry in Nogales, San Luis and Douglas.

The International Border Inspection Qualification program is part of ADOT’s Border Liaison Unit launched last fall to train commercial vehicle drivers and mechanics on safety inspections at the border. The goal is for trucking companies to make any needed repairs before they approach the border, saving the companies time and money and allowing ADOT inspectors to focus on trucks that are more likely to have safety concerns.

The program is working: ADOT inspectors have conducted fewer border inspections over the past year but have found more violations, increasing safety on Arizona roads. Those improvements have led to more trucks crossing in Arizona instead of elsewhere, boosting the state’s economy.

The International Border Inspection Qualification program stems 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.

The program initially scheduled four training sessions this fall but has added four more at the request of Mexican trucking officials, including one held last week in Douglas, Arizona. The remaining schedule:

• Sept. 19-20 in Nogales, Sonora
• Oct. 3-4 in Douglas, Arizona (to be conducted in English)
• Oct. 11-12 in San Luis Río Colorado, Sonora
• Oct. 24-25 in Culiacán, Sinaloa
• A yet-to-be-determined November date in Hermosillo, Sonora  

PHOENIX – Opening a new customer service location usually means cutting a ribbon at the door, but that can’t happen at the newest Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices because they’re located entirely in cyberspace.

An analysis of MVD customer traffic for the 2017 fiscal year shows that the upsurge in online usage at ServiceArizona.com and its associated kiosks is essentially the same amount of traffic experienced at two large urban “brick and mortar” MVD offices.

In fiscal 2017, ServiceArizona.com and kiosk traffic accounted for a combined 7.9 million customer transactions such as vehicle registration renewal, ordering a specialty license plate, updating insurance information and many other functions. That’s an increase of about 286,000 online transactions compared to the previous fiscal year, which is approximately how many transactions two typical physical locations in Phoenix or Tucson will handle.

“MVD is serving more people every year, and adding online options means we get more people out of line and safely on the road,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen. “In the most recent fiscal year, our online growth was so great that we basically created the equivalent of two new MVD offices. That means customers in every part of Arizona get high-quality service at their convenience and on their schedule, and we are using taxpayer dollars more efficiently.”

Under the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Doug Ducey, MVD has taken a leading role in implementing new strategies designed to improve customer service. Among those introduced within the last year include providing online appointments for road tests, installing a function to update crucial auto insurance information and allowing veterans’ specialty plates to be ordered online.

The online innovations combined with more efficient operational strategies at physical locations have helped lower the average customer time spent in an urban office to approximately 25 minutes compared to nearly an hour in mid-2016.

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd.

PHOENIX – Since the Arizona Department of Transportation began using facial recognition technology and training in 2015 to protect Arizonans from identity theft, detectives have brought more than 100 cases to court.

It’s a process that begins when a person applies for or renews a driver license or ID card at a Motor Vehicle Division office or Authorized Third Party business, and it is a seamless part of the customer’s visit.

After the customer’s picture is taken, the photo goes through a check against all others in the state driver license database while the customer finishes the application process.

All of the analysis takes place inside a computer, and if the system finds the applicant’s photo likely matches another photo under a different name, it flags the photos, putting a temporary stop on printing the permanent card. The photos are then sent to FBI-trained staff members at ADOT’s Office of Inspector General where they undergo three levels of review to verify that the photos are of the same person.

“This high-tech tool has really enhanced our ability to catch identity thieves,” said Michael Lockhart, chief of the Office of Inspector General. “When we couple this technology with other security measures like central credential issuance, it allows us to stop these criminals and keep Arizona IDs out of their hands.”

The detectives and staff members are trained to look for similarities in facial features and even account for identical twins. If photos are confirmed to be the same person on multiple profiles, ADOT detectives will open an investigation.

If detectives determine that a person is committing fraud, the license or ID card is never printed. The temporary credentials customers receive at MVD offices and Authorized Third Party businesses expire after 30 days.

ADOT’s Office of Inspector General investigates fraud involving driver license and identification card applications; vehicle sales by licensed and unlicensed dealers; and vehicle titles and registration. It also assists state, local and federal law enforcement agencies with investigations.

For more information about applying for an Arizona driver license or ID card, please visit: azdot.gov/driverlicenseinfo.

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 – Starting this week, the timing of ramp-meter signals along southbound State Route 51 (Piestewa Freeway) are being adjusted to respond to the flow of morning rush-hour traffic, expanding an Arizona Department of Transportation program that began last fall along the freeway’s northbound on-ramps.

Instead of the ramp meters being programmed with predetermined red-light intervals, the system will use data from traffic-flow sensors embedded in the freeway’s pavement to adjust the signal timing. When morning rush-hour traffic slows, the ramp meters may hold vehicles several additional seconds to help ease the congestion.

The change involves southbound SR 51 on-ramp meters from Greenway to Thomas roads. The southbound ramp meter at Shea Boulevard isn’t currently in use.

As with the northbound State Route 51 ramp meters during the afternoon rush hour, the southbound meters may even turn off earlier in the morning based on how well freeway traffic is flowing.

Drivers may notice new signs along southbound SR 51 on-ramps advising them of the signal timing changes.

The ramp meter project supports one of ADOT’s key performance indicators under the Arizona Management System championed by Governor Doug Ducey: reducing the percentage of time freeways in the Phoenix metro area are congested.

Ramp meters have been in use for many years across the country and at many Phoenix-area freeway on-ramps during busy rush hours to enhance traffic flow, as well as safety, by controlling the number of vehicles entering freeways at any one time.

The upgrades along SR 51 provide a way to look at expanded capabilities of ramp-meter technology. Most ramp meters along Valley freeways are currently programmed with predetermined red-light intervals. Hours of operation for the meters have been based on historical traffic data.

The SR 51 ramp meters using the new responsive system are programmed to adjust to freeway traffic flow and the volume of traffic entering the freeway. Detectors along the entrance ramps also assess if ramp traffic is backing up, allowing the system to further adjust the red and green light timing to limit the amount of traffic waiting to enter the freeway.

ADOT is working closely with the city of Phoenix on the ramp meter research project and will continue to monitor any impacts to traffic on local streets intersecting with SR 51.