If you follow us on Facebook, you might have seen the photo we posted yesterday as part of our “Where in AZ?” series...

It was a pretty cool shot taken from very high up ... 900 feet above the Colorado River, in fact! Yes, our crew was at the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge and snapped the photo.

The bridge is truly a marvel and is seen as a very important link between Arizona and Nevada for travel and commercial transportation, allowing traffic to bypass the Hoover Dam.

So, when we heard the bridge had been honored with the American Society of Civil Engineer’s (ASCE) 2012 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award, we were not surprised.

The announcement was made last month during the ASCE’s annual gala. From the ASCE’s website ...

“(The bridge) was constructed in a harsh environment where temperatures reached triple digits during the day. The structure is the highest and longest arch concrete bridge in the Western hemisphere and features the world’s tallest concrete columns.

Because of the 800-foot gorge below with rock cliffs, steep canyon walls and winds of up to 70 miles per hour, the contractor used two 2,500 foot long cableways connected to 330 foot high towers on each side of the canyon to transport the construction crews and 50 tons of equipment and material into place during the construction.

Due to the high heat, concrete was poured from mid-air at night and was cooled with liquid nitrogen filled tubes. The bridge is part of the five-mile long bypass that consists of four lanes of roadway, eight bridges, interchanges in both Arizona and Nevada and over 3.6 million cubic yards of shot rock excavation.

The project was built for $240 million without a dispute or claim by contractors. Obayashi Corporation and PSM Construction USA were contractors for the bridge while HDR, T.Y. Lin International and Jacobs Engineering were the design and support team. The project is owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation, the Nevada Department of Transportation, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Western Area Power/Administration and the National Park Service. The Central Federal Lands Highway Division of the Federal Highway Administration was the project and program manager.”

Big congratulations to all involved! More information on the bridge can be found online.

What does the phrase “going green” mean to you?

If you work in one of ADOT’s Equipment Services shops, it means implementing more than 175 environmentally conscious “best management practices” within your workplace.

Those practices constitute a range of actions spelled out in a manual developed to help shops reduce pollution and improve operations in an environmentally sensitive manner.

The manual was created in 2006 as part of the Green Shop Program, which is designed to improve customer satisfaction and assist ADOT’s equipment shops become more “green.”

Right now, you might be wondering what an equipment services shop is … so, let us explain.

There are 26 ADOT Equipment Services shops located throughout the state and they provide vehicle services to more than 40 government agencies in Arizona ranging from state groups like the Arizona Department of Public Safety and Arizona Game and Fish Department to local police departments and school districts.

The vehicle services performed in the shops include tune-ups, diagnostics, repairs … even complete rebuilds. They work on all types of vehicles – from cars to snow plows! Plus, there’s also the ability to perform specialties (think paint, body repair, welding and electrical) on the government vehicles that come in.

OK … back to the Green Shop Program.

After three years, the program was established and working very well – consistent training and follow-up meant the equipment shops were becoming “greener.” It was time to take things up a notch and in 2009 the Green Shop Award became available only to shops that were in full environmental compliance and were doing things “above and beyond” to protect the environment.

Here are a few things shops have implemented to become the top “green” shop.

• Performing quarterly spill response training and live drills 
• Implementing a solid waste reduction plan 
• Purchasing recyclable material when possible 
• Cleaning parts with 100 percent non-solvent based products 
• The Prescott Valley shop utilized used oil to run the shop’s heater systems 

Green Shop Award winners are chosen annually through surprise visits to the shop where they are graded on their compliance with the manual and for implementing environmental methods that go beyond the standard practices. Two winners are chosen each year – one full service shop and one satellite shop.

Just last month, two shops were given the top award for their dedication – the equipment shop in Prescott Valley and a satellite shop off of Carefree Highway in the North Valley are the two winners this year!

“I am very proud that the Equipment Services Team has embraced the environmental program,” said Administrative Services Division Director John Nichols. “However, what impresses me the most was how close the scoring came just to find a winner. Our Green Shop program winners had to go above and beyond to win the award. We may have two Green Shop Award winners, but the real winner is the environment.”

ADOT’s Equipment Services Administrator Devin Darlek agrees and says he’s amazed, but not surprised, by how well and how quickly the shops have adapted to the green system.

“We’ve saved so many tax dollars by reducing waste at the same time we’re protecting our storm water and other environmental responsibilities,” he said.

Did you realize that more than 111,000 people in the U.S. are in need of a life-saving organ transplant? In Arizona alone, 2,100 people are waiting...

That’s why the Donor Network of Arizona is so important. As the state’s only organ recovery organization, this not-for-profit group is a much-needed resource. 

But, on Sept. 16 it was the Donor Network of Arizona that wanted to say thank-you. During its third-annual Donation Celebration/25th Anniversary Gala event, the organization recognized and celebrated the citizens, professionals and businesses that have contributed to the network’s mission: to make the most of life through the gift of organ and tissue donation.

The Arizona Department of Transportation was recognized as a community partner.

"The Department is honored to be recognized with this award because it shows the high level of commitment our employees have to do their share to help people in need," said ADOT Director John Halikowski.

Donor Network of Arizona spokeswoman Kris Patterson says the event and the awards presented are important.

“We want to recognize the leaders who organize and support organ and tissue donation in the state,” said Patterson, adding, “We have an incredible partnership with ADOT. They have been so supportive and proactive.”

Photo courtesy of Claire Beeler

The Donor Network of Arizona presented awards on Sept. 16 during its third-annual Donation Celebration. Partnerships were recognized in several categories, including: volunteer, workplace, media, community and healthcare.

Patterson noted the ways that ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division allows drivers to easily register as a donor.

According to the Donor Network of Arizona, in 2010, 119 organ donors in this state gave life to 345 people and the 863 ocular donors and 752 tissue donors helped heal thousands.

Arizonans can sign up as registered organ and tissue donors when they apply or renew their driver license or ID at the Motor Vehicle Division. 

They can also become donors by signing up online at the Donate Life AZ website or by calling 1.800.94.DONOR.

Remember when we first blogged about Arizona ’s Long-Range Transportation Plan?

It’s the plan that’s updated every five years and helps set ADOT’s priorities when it comes to the state’s transportation needs over the next 25 years.

You might also remember that in an effort to get significant feedback about where Arizonans would like to see their transportation dollars spent, ADOT tried something a little different in terms of public involvement.

Steering away from the traditional public meeting route, we launched an extensive outreach campaign – coined What Moves You Arizona – as a coordinated effort to communicate information about the multibillion-dollar gap between the state’s transportation needs over the next 25 years and anticipated revenue.

What Moves You Arizona offered a way to reach out to as many people as possible and give everyone the opportunity to have their voice heard – the opportunity for Arizonans to tell ADOT what was important to them regarding the future of transportation in their state.

Here’s a breakdown of the campaign:

• 12 Meeting-In-a-Box kits requested and distributed.
• 6 e-newsletters with a total distribution of 128,693 sent.
• 3 educational videos created generating 2,720 online views.
• 66 DVD requests fulfilled.
• 86 total newspaper advertisements placed along with spots on 23 radio stations.
• 2,385 surveys completed (an unprecedented response!)

Not only did the outreach efforts generate an unprecedented amount of public input, but the campaign was awarded with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Excel Award – AASHTO’s highest award for public relations programs and campaigns.

The award was announced Tuesday at the National Transportation Public Affairs Workshop (NTPAW) in Iowa! NTPAW is sponsored each year by AASHTO’s subcommittee on transportation communications.

Thanks to the numerous survey responses and the comments made at the workshops, ADOT was able to incorporate all that feedback into the Long-Range Transportation Plan and determine a recommended investment choice and associated performance measures. The final plan is scheduled to be adopted by the State Transportation Board in October and will be released in November.

ADOT appreciates everyone who attended workshops, provided feedback and took the time to complete a survey. Your participation gave Arizonans a voice in shaping our transportation future.

If you haven't yet, be sure to "like" us on Facebook where you can always give us your feedback and input!

A call to the Arizona Department of Transportation might not be the first you’d make during an emergency ... but in some situations, an ADOT crew could be your best hope for help.

Take for example a call that came in to the Show Low highway maintenance dispatch office back on Dec. 31 at around 10:30 p.m. An Arizona Department of Public Safety officer's vehicle was stuck in the snow on Highway 191 in the far southeastern portion of the state.

ADOT highway operation tech Frank Gidney was on duty, so he and his snowplow headed out in that direction.

Once Gidney reached the scene he learned the DPS officer had actually been called to help a family – stuck in the snow and out of fuel.

Frank’s snowplow started to clear the way again as he and the officer took off toward the family’s reported location. They soon were joined by ADOT highway operation tech Lonnie Baca, who also was driving a snowplow.

At about 3:30 a.m. the three men made it to the stranded family, which included five young children. Weather conditions at that time were very severe ... it was about -24 degrees and the snow was roughly four feet high.

Miraculously, everyone was okay.

“There was ice on the inside of the windows of the (family’s) vehicle,” Gidney said.

“They said they couldn’t thank us enough,” Baca added.

The ADOT crew and DPS officer managed to get fuel for the family’s vehicle and assisted them in making it back to a hotel in nearby Alpine.

This was not an everyday highway maintenance call ... that’s for sure.

“You run into people who are stuck, but not a desperate situation like this,” Gidney said. “Lonnie and I feel there’s nothing we did that anyone else wouldn’t have done.”

Even though they're modest about the life-saving assistance they provided, Baca and Gidney’s co-workers definitely feel they are heroes.

In fact, the two were awarded ADOT Life-Saving Awards on April 28.

ADOT Director John Halikowski, State Engineer Floyd Roehrich, Jr. and Deputy State Engineer Dallas Hammit traveled to Globe to present the awards and offer their thanks.

"It's important work that you do," Director Halikowski told the two, along with their fellow highway operation techs, during the awards presentation. "Thank you."