If you drove by Interstate 10 in far east Tucson on a recent Monday night, you couldn’t have overlooked a massive boom pumping concrete onto the new Houghton Road overpass.

But we wanted to share something you couldn’t have seen while zipping through the area: A little father-daughter bonding at what was dad’s office that night.

Meet Jeremy Moore, the Assistant District Engineer for ADOT’s Southcentral District, and his 11-year-old daughter, Kailey (both featured in the video and photo on this page!). 

Moore oversees the interchange reconstruction project and figured this busy work site was a perfect place for his daughter, who is eyeing a career in some kind of engineering or architecture. Kailey loves structures, so what could be better than watching part of a 12-hour, overnight operation to pour 1,000 cubic yards of concrete that now form the bridge’s future driving surface.

Kailey is a sixth grader at St. Joseph Catholic School in Tucson who has a passion for Taekwondo – she’s a second-degree black belt – and loves engineering, technology, science and math.

Thankfully for Kailey, there was a lot of math to soak in!

Her father shares a few interesting numbers on all that concrete. It’s:

• 1,626 tons
• 803 cubic yards
• held together with 123 tons of reinforcing steel
• forming a structure that’s 245 feet long, 125 feet wide and 8.5 inches thick

If Kailey ever decides to build something like a bridge, she got the perfect lesson under the stars that Monday night.

As to the project and what it means to drivers, this concrete pour represents a milestone. The entire bridge deck was poured in just one night, which means crews can plan for shifting traffic onto that new structure later this summer. That in turn allows us to demolish the old two-lane Houghton Road bridge and complete the ramps on the east side of the interchange.

And a few more numbers to finish with: The $24.4 million project is expected to be complete in about 7 months – at the end of 2021. Expect some nighttime and weekend lane restrictions, which could lead to delays of about 15 minutes.

How do we love Interstate 40? Let us count the ways. 

1...2...275 million!

That’s how many dollars ADOT has invested in the I-40 corridor over the last five years. From minor bridge repairs to complete bridge replacements and small pavement patch jobs to miles-long pavement replacement projects, we see the value I-40 brings not only to Arizona but the rest of the country.

Since 2016, ADOT has replaced pavement on about 90 miles of I-40 and repaired, upgraded or replaced 35 bridges along I-40. 

The agency utilizes innovative techniques to cut I-40 bridge replacements by months like the bridge slide method or a process known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system to rebuild bridges, creating new abutments that integrate into the roadway with a reinforced soil foundation.

We’ve replaced dozens of bridge decks and even rebuilt 5 miles of I-40 in each direction near Williams.

Bridges and road surfaces aren’t the only things to be improved over the last five years. In continuing to support commerce, ADOT has made improvements to rest areas along I-40 including Haviland Rest Area west of Kingman and Painted Cliffs Rest Area near the New Mexico state line. Improvements are currently underway at Meteor Crater Rest Area. 

Truck parking was also permanently expanded by nearly 100 spaces at the Haviland and Meteor Crater rest areas last year.

And most importantly, we’re not done! Work along the I-40 corridor continues today. Crews are replacing pavement along 10 miles of I-40 from I-17 to Walnut Canyon Road. ADOT is also currently improving 16 bridges spread out along the interstate from California to New Mexico.

Looking toward the future, ADOT is in the process of planning a new traffic interchange between I-40 and US 93 in west Kingman  as well as more pavement replacement projects west of Ash Fork.

He was a hearty man with a winning style and warm smile.

He was beloved by his employees, who called him “Big Foot” for his height and size: 6 foot, 4 inches tall and some 240 pounds.

But history will most likely recall the late Justin Herman, Arizona Highway Department director from 1956 to 1973, as the energetic leader who shepherded in the modern state freeway system, including the Black Canyon (Interstate 17), Superstition (US 60) and Maricopa (Interstate 10) freeways.

“During his tenure of office, some of the most important and mammoth advances and improvements in the history of Arizona road building, dating back to the date of Statehood in 1912, have been initiated and completed,” the Arizona Public Employee publication said of Herman in March 1970.

Here are some of those mammoth advances, according to our 2012 Arizona Transportation History report:

"Work began on the Maricopa Freeway in 1958, and soon contracts for both new freeways were being issued on a regular basis. By 1961, more than six miles of the Black Canyon were open to traffic, from McDowell Road to Northern Avenue, and work was proceeding at a rapid pace. In late 1964, the combined Black Canyon–Maricopa freeway was dedicated from 16th Street to just north of the Carefree Highway. At a cost of $33.5 million for 30 miles of roadway – more than a $1 million per mile – it was by far the most expensive highway built in Arizona up to that time.”

You can see Herman, second from the left in the photo above, at that 1964 dedication of the combined Maricopa and Black Canyon highways.

Herman was the first and only director of the Highway Department, as before him the chief transportation official had been the state engineer. He served 17 years under five governors, being appointed three times to five-year terms before his retirement in 1973. By then, he had notched 42 years of public service, including 32 with the department.

The next year, 1974, the department he formerly headed became the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Larger than life character

Herman’s 93-year-old son – also named Justin Herman – described his dad in a recent interview as a larger-than-life character with contagious enthusiasm and a drive to get things done.

“He was an all-around great person, one of those people whom others liked immensely, a good-natured and highly intelligent man,” he recalled. “His big mission in life was to help people in any way he could.”

ADOT’s Spotlight bulletin echoed this sentiment in an article about Herman receiving a plaque for his service.

“Herman’s style of ‘personal diplomacy,’ marked by a friendly smile, a ready, powerful handshake, and a kind word to all, made him one of the most widely known state officials in Arizona,” it said.

To get a sense of how widely known Herman was, his son shared about the time he was renewing his license at the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles, when the woman behind the counter recognized Herman’s name.

“I want to tell you a story,” she told him.

She was only a temporary employee at ADOT, she said, when her husband died of cancer. Around the same time, she was notified that her position would end and she would be let go after that Christmas. She told her supervisor how desperately she needed a job, and he urged her to see the director.

When she went to meet with Herman, he didn’t even know her name. He would meet with anyone regardless of position. She told him her situation, and the next day she was offered a job as a full-time employee.

“He was beloved,” his son said.

Just another cowboy

There was also the time when Herman met with the producer of a movie being shot in Sedona, who was requesting another road for equipment and vehicles.

That producer was John Wayne. And the road, which ADOT built, led to a cottage industry of westerns getting filmed in Sedona, his son said.

What did Herman think of John Wayne?

“He’s just another cowboy,” he told his son.

Another time in 1950, Herman, his wife and son were on a trip up north when the car broke down.  Herman had to wait hours for another car to come by and give him a lift to a telephone.

He telephoned his employees for help, since at the time he was Superintendent of the Shops. His colleagues were so amused by the irony that they put up a sign at the breakdown location called “Herman’s Crossing.” The site was even on the map for a while, the younger Herman said.

Years later, the younger Herman’s own son, Dan Herman, retrieved the sign – which had become riddled with bullet holes – and put it on his college dorm-room door.

Dan Herman has heard plenty of tales like these about his grandfather, but he was also was privy to his domestic side.

“He puttered in the yard, read Zane Grey novels and cooked sausage and eggs for us on Sundays,” he said.  

If this seems like a long time ago, it was. But the past came to the surface recently when Herman’s granddaughter, Luciana Herman, spotted a photo of him on ADOT’s Twitter feed. The photo at the top of this post, in fact.

“Such a proud day for my grandfather back in 1964,” Luciana tweeted. “I-10 took up a lot of space in his head in those years as director.”

The second photo on the right shows Gov. Jack Williams signing a proclamation about "Highway Week" in Arizona. while looking on behind him, from left, are William Price, state highway engineer; Herman, and Lew Davis, chairman of the Arizona State Highway Commission.

Perhaps Herman’s most lasting legacy will be his passion for his job and the people of the state.

His son said: “He just loved his job and the people so much!”

Does merging on the highway pose a dilemma for you?

For a lot of us, a “Merge Left (or Right)” sign triggers an inner debate: Should we politely do what the sign says and merge now, or should we wait to merge later – and gain more ground – but feel guilty for cutting?

The zipper merge system ends the debate and encourages drivers to wait until the last minute to merge – without guilt!

What is the zipper merge, you ask, and what does it have to do with ADOT?

Glad you asked! No, it’s not a new line dance or a carnival ride, but a traffic system that organizes how motorists merge when a lane closes.

ADOT has been using the zipper merge on various projects since 2016. Currently, it is being used on the Meteor Crater and Two Guns bridge deck replacement and rehabilitation project on Interstate 40 east of Flagstaff.

Okay, but how does it work?

Here’s how, according to AAA. The zipper merge is like a zipper on a pair of jeans. Just as the teeth of your jean’s zipper come together, the zipper merge keep traffic coming together, smoothly closing the lane.

Motorists stay in their respective lanes until the final merge point, which is efficient because it’s not leaving one lane empty. It uses all available lane space.

At the merge point, vehicles take turns merging: The car in one lane merges, and then a car in the other lane merges, then the car in the next lane merges, and so on. Like a zipper!

Additionally, ADOT is testing a “smart work zone” in the westbound direction of the I-40 project. It uses a dynamic merge system with electronic signs and sensors and can be controlled remotely. When traffic is light, the signs ask motorists to merge well ahead of the closure. When traffic is heavier, the zipper merge system kicks in and signs ask drivers to merge later. You can read more about it here.

Dilemma resolved!

For more information about the zipper merge, check out this classic ADOT blog.

To see photos of the I-40 bridge deck and rehabilitation project, visit the ADOT Flickr album.

We who oversee the ADOT blog love it when new constructions gets underway, mainly because we get to dive deep into the process of taking a project from idea to fully finished road.

That's the case right now with the interim expansion of State Route 24 from Ellsworth Road to Ironwood Drive in the southeast Valley. Preliminary work kicked off before the holidays, but now that it's a new year, drivers can expect to see construction in earnest. 

Which brings us once again around to taking a look at highway construction. Part of the work people might see happening right now is construction of a box culvert near Williams Field. 

Okay, so box culverts. You've probably seen them all your life, but haven't given them much thought. We don't blame you. On the scale of engineering complexity, their design is kind of simple. But that contrasts with their function, which is an all important concern when it comes to road building: moving water. The purpose of a culvert is to help water flow along a channel in such a way to keep it from washing away a road or a bridge. They can come in a variety of shapes - for example round or square - and materials - like either concrete or metal. Depending on a variety of factors such as an expected flow of water, you can have one culvert or multiple ones together. 

We think you get the point. Box cuverts: simple, yet super important. Let's now tie it back to where we started, the ones being built on SR 24 near Williams Field.

The photo here gives you a little perspective on how you go about installing culverts. For reference, the image you see is the inside of the culvert. One of the first things you'll notice is the wooden bracing inside. As we told you about in another blog, that's called falsework. It's job is to help hold up the shape of the culvert until the cement is dried and the whole thing is self supporting. That's what happening here; cement was being poured for the walls and deck the day this photo was taken. 

The blog we just mentioned will also teach you about sand jacks and how the falsework is removed after the cement sets. We may be a bit biased, but we think its pretty fascinating.

With construction expected to last through fall of 2020, expect to see more work like this as we extend two lanes of highway in each direction between Ironwood and Ellsworth, and add bridges over Ellsworth and Mountain roads with additional intersections at Williams Field, Signal Butte and Meridian roads. And, as with all highway projects, you can sign up for traffic alerts and other updates on the project page on the ADOT website. 

If this small glimpse has not scratched your box culvert itch, you can check out the full Flickr gallery of the construction below.

As a new year begins, so will a new freeway project in the southeast Valley. Work on the addition of a new Loop 202 Santan Freeway interchange at Lindsay Road, east of Gilbert Road, will start this month.

To mark the start of construction, the town of Gilbert hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in the area near where new on- and off-ramps will be added along the Santan Freeway at Lindsay Road. Gilbert’s event team should be applauded for arranging and carrying out a socially distanced ceremony with precautions taken during the current health situation.

Officials from Gilbert, including Mayor Scott Anderson, spoke about the work of various agencies over time to make the project a reality as well as the benefits that a new interchange will provide for local drivers and the town’s economic development opportunities.

ADOT’s State Engineer Dallas Hammit also took part in the groundbreaking and focused his remarks on how this project is an example of partnering and cooperation between local, regional, state and federal agencies.

Over approximately the next year, ADOT will now manage a $21.7 million project to add the Lindsay Road interchange. Completion is anticipated in early 2022. Other improvements include the widening of the westbound Loop 202 off-ramp at Gilbert Road and eastbound off-ramp at Val Vista Drive and construction of a new westbound frontage road between Lindsay and Gilbert roads.

Gilbert will complete local street improvements in the area. Both ADOT and Gilbert will provide project updates, including traffic restriction reports, as the construction moves forward. Minimal restrictions are expected along Loop 202 during the course of the project since much of the work will take place away from the freeway’s lanes. We urge drivers to use caution and to always watch for workers and equipment in freeway or local street work zones.

As State Route 189 construction progresses from the international border of Mexico to Grand Avenue in Nogales, monarch butterflies are emerging throughout the new highway structures. 

Abstract butterflies are cascading down the concrete piers being installed for the new bridge and flyover ramps connecting SR 189 and Interstate 19.

“This design shows how these butterflies cluster together on tree trunks,” said Landscape Architectural Designer Joseph R. Salazar, who is the project aesthetic manager. Three-dimensional metal butterflies will be attached as accent icons on the concrete retaining walls. Abstract butterfly designs also will be incorporated in landform graphics. 

Why were butterflies chosen as the project’s aesthetic theme? 

ADOT roadside development team members studied the cultural, historical and biological contexts in the Nogales Port of Entry area. They learned that SR 189 is also known as Mariposa (Spanish for butterfly) Road. In addition, the North American monarch butterflies are significant in this region — migrating through Arizona between Mexico and Canada in the fall and spring. 

“I decided to incorporate the monarch butterfly because it represents movement and transportation, which ties in with the busy Nogales Port of Entry that has a lot of trade going back and forth,” Salazar said. 

The monarch butterflies’ bold colors and shapes echo the vibrant colors, cultural and natural beauty of the area. Monarch butterflies are under consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for inclusion on the Endangered Species List.

The SR 189 landscaping will benefit monarch butterflies because milkweed shrubs — the primary food source for monarch caterpillars — will be part of the vegetation. Roadside Resources Specialist Kris Gade is part of a group that developed a nationwide candidate conservation agreement for monarch butterflies to conserve and enhance monarch butterfly habitat, including providing vegetation they need to survive, such as milkweed. 

“ADOT supported development of the agreement and is working on identifying monarch butterfly habitat areas in rights of way around the state,” she added. 

View more photos of the butterfly design in the SR 189 highway on the embedded Flickr album. Read more about the highway improvements and see a video with a butterfly’s view of Mariposa Road. 

One of ADOT’s major priorities while rebuilding the I-10/Houghton Road interchange is to minimize disruptions and closures, which means we’ve got to move really fast when we close a roadway.

If you’ve driven through that interchange in the last couple months, you’ve seen that our crews have moved so quickly that they’ve transformed the landscape on half of the interchange in less than two months. This photo from the project team shows the work so far, including constructing bridge piers for a new overpass on the west side of the interchange, regrading everything on the east side of interchange and building up the earth for new ramps.

That’s a lot of progress for a project that kicked off Aug. 24.

We closed two of the interchange’s ramps in late August, with a goal of rebuilding and reopening them before Thanksgiving. Those ramps – the westbound exit ramp and eastbound on-ramp – are already taking shape and should be paved by early November.

We’ll rebuild the ramps on the west side of the interchange as well, but they will remain open through the project except for an occasional nighttime restriction or closure. Likewise, only occasional overnight restrictions and closures will be needed on Houghton Road. And, I-10 will remain open, though drivers should expect overnight lane restrictions at times.

The new $24.4 million interchange east of downtown Tucson is expected to be complete in late 2021. It will feature southern Arizona’s first diverging diamond interchange – a type of interchange where drivers cross and travel on the left side of the overpass while crossing the interstate.

You can read more about the I-10/Houghton Road project and diverging diamonds here. And if you’ve driven through north Phoenix recently, you may have noticed ADOT opened Arizona’s first major diverging diamond interchange earlier this month at I-17 and Happy Valley Road. The Phoenix interchange won’t be fully complete until late this fall, but the major elements are in place if you’re looking to get a feel for what’s coming to I-10 and Houghton Road in southern Arizona next year.

We have quite the talented group of shutterbugs here at ADOT, as evidenced by the quantity and quality of the highway construction photos you can easily find on our Flickr page.

If you have paid any attention to our Throwback Thursday blogs, you know that we also have a rich archive to draw on to see what construction was happening decades ago. Between both, there are thousands of photos that are each capturing a moment in time, showing us the people, places and equipment that came together to build the transportation infrastructure we enjoy today.

That's why we like this photo so much. As the caption says, this was taken during paving operations on February 26, 1934 on an unnamed stretch of Thomas Road. You can immediately spot the plethora of differences that has taken place in the last nearly 90 years. There's the equipment, the old cars in the background and the wooden telephone poles running the length of the street. Can you imagine visiting a construction site in a three-piece suit and fedora?

Also, how about that street? In 2020, Thomas Road is a major route that runs – with some gaps – between 144th Avenue in Goodyear to Power Road in east Mesa, cutting through much of the heart of the Phoenix metro area. It's come a long way from the dirt-packed, house-lined path that we see here.

This photo is interesting to us because today ADOT oversees state highways and freeways. But apparently, at this time, the then-named State Highway Department was interested in the paving happening along this city street. 

There's a lot to unpack in this photo, but it does raise an interesting question: What will future ADOT bloggers say about the photos we're taking now for the construction on I-10 at Ruthrauff or I-17 and Happy Valley?