PHOENIX – New devices on trucks used by the Arizona Department of Transportation to apply oil on highway pavement to extend the lifespan of the road surface are reducing taxpayer costs, saving time and helping the environment.

The use of the new oil-spray guards help with the distribution of oil by giving greater control in applying the oil during pavement preservation projects along Arizona’s highways. This allows crews to use less oil by limiting overspray onto the ground and landscaping next to the highway, protecting the environment.

“We’re very happy with the results,” said ADOT Equipment Services Administrator Devin Darlek. “We’re seeing savings in time and money while protecting landscaping with the use of spray guards. It’s a good example of ADOT’s efforts to be good stewards of both the environment and taxpayer dollars.”

A team of ADOT employees from different areas within the agency came together to develop the spray-guard device. The team had not come across anything used elsewhere in the country to address the problem of over-spraying oil during pavement projects. The ADOT spray guard has become a successful innovation.

Other benefits of the spray guard include a reduction in the amount of time needed to clean the trucks after use on a highway project. What used to take two employees between four and eight hours to accomplish now takes one employee about an hour.

Along with the spray guard, the team also designed and built catch basins as a better way to contain and dispose of the oil washed off the trucks. The oil residue is washed off the truck into the catch basin where it is then pumped into 55-gallon drums for proper disposal.

“I am really proud of our team,” said Darlek. “They worked hard and were able to develop simple solutions that help to produce a lot of savings for the department and taxpayers. This is a win-win-win for ADOT, taxpayers and the environment.”

The catch basins can be deployed at ADOT maintenance yards across the state which allow for more places to wash the oil trucks after use. The basins cost a fraction of the more industrial oil-water separators that are located at some of the district offices around the state.

The savings produced as a result of the spray guard and the catch basin can help direct taxpayer money to other areas of need within the agency, allowing those dollars to go further toward a well-maintained highway system.

PHOENIX — If you get into a crash with another vehicle and the driver is at fault, you expect the damages to be covered by the other person or their insurance company. Because the Arizona Department of Transportation has the same expectation, $2.9 million in highway damages was recovered in 2012.

ADOT has an Insurance Recovery Unit that is made up of insurance industry professionals who are responsible for recouping the cost of damages to the state highway system. The recovered repair costs, which include labor, equipment and materials, go back into the state highway fund. This saves taxpayers from shouldering the expense of repairing accidental or negligent damages done to the highway system and puts the burden on the responsible party and their insurance carrier.

The recovery process begins when law enforcement responds to an incident where guardrail or some component of the highway system was damaged. The officer will mark the damaged item with a sticker that has the police report number on it. ADOT maintenance is then notified of the damage and makes the repair. A member of the Insurance Recovery Unit will utilize the police report to contact the individual or their insurance company to file a claim.

“Insurance recovery is a key component to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Sonya Herrera, safety and risk management director. “The person who damages state property should be accountable for the associated cost of repairs. This unit helps ensure that this happens.”   

A recent example of insurance recovery was the damage done to the Jefferson Street overpass along Interstate 17 in downtown Phoenix last October. After the driver of a semi involved in the hit-and-run damage to the bridge was identified, the Insurance Recovery Unit set to work managing the claim with both the driver and his insurance company. More than $56,000 has been recovered for the damage to the overpass.

Over the past four years, ADOT has processed more than 8,500 claims.

“The work these individuals do is outstanding,” said Herrera. “They help save taxpayers millions of dollars each year.”