PHOENIX –  Faced with the delicate balance of keeping people safe and the economy going during the pandemic, Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Transportation made moves to assist the trucking industry to keep the supply of essentials like groceries and medical supplies flowing to Arizona communities.

In April, ADOT issued new rules that temporarily allowed commercial vehicles providing direct assistance to COVID-19 relief efforts to operate with a gross weight up to 90,000 pounds without an overweight permit. The normal limit is 80,000 pounds.

This included, among other essential items, medical supplies related to the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19, supplies necessary for community safety and preventing the spread of COVID-19 and food and household items for emergency restocking of stores. 

In addition to raising weight limits to allow for more essential supplies into Arizona, ADOT initiated a few vital rest area-related projects to help support commercial vehicles.

ADOT temporarily reopened two long-closed rest areas near Flagstaff exclusively for commercial vehicles in early April. ADOT crews quickly prepared the Christensen Rest Area on Interstate 17 and the Parks Rest Area on Interstate 40 to offer parking, portable toilets and handwashing facilities for long-haul truckers. The reopening of these rest areas provided an additional 44 parking spaces for commercial vehicles.

Both Christensen and Parks plan to re-close in early January.

Nearly 100 permanent truck parking spaces were added to two rest area locations along Interstate 40 by mid-summer. Haviland Rest Area received 38 new parking spaces between its two facilities, while Meteor Crater Rest Area received 56 spaces at its facilities. The Haviland project was fast-tracked specifically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while the parking spaces at Meteor Crater were added to an existing project to renovate both the Meteor Crater Rest Area and the Painted Cliffs Rest Area.

And if all of that wasn’t enough, Governor Ducey also issued an Executive Order in April allowing food trucks to operate at several ADOT rest areas in order to provide long-haul truckers carrying those essentials with nutritious food while aiding the food truck business during the pandemic. 

ADOT supported the Executive Order by setting up a food-truck permitting program so food truck owners could apply for permits to operate at specific rest areas to serve truckers and travelers alike. 

ADOT is committed to serving its customers even during unprecedented times like what was seen during 2020. For more information, visit azdot.gov. For resources and information about Arizona’s response to COVID-19, visit ArizonaTogether.org.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will hold an additional public hearing for the revised 2021-2025 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program on Friday, Oct. 16 during the monthly State Transportation Board meeting.

The hearing is open to anyone who wishes to address the board with his or her comments about what should be included in the 2021-2025 Five-Year Program. The public hearing and board meeting will be held online. Meeting details can be found at aztransportationboard.gov. 

The State Transportation Board received the newly revised Tentative Program during its meeting on Sept. 18. The comment period for the Tentative Program also began on Sept. 18 and runs until Oct. 27. The board is expected to vote on the 2021-2025 Five-Year Program at its Oct. 27 meeting. 

Earlier this year, ADOT conducted its traditional process for the annual update to the Five-Year Program and held a public comment period and two public hearings. 

The 2021-2025 Five-Year Program was scheduled to be approved by the board during its June meeting. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and associated impacts on transportation, the board requested more time to obtain the most recent data from the COVID-19 stay-at-home period to evaluate the impact on the Arizona Highway User Revenue Fund and how that could affect the Five-Year Program. 

Last month, ADOT management presented the latest financial numbers and outlook to the board, along with a revised Tentative Five-Year Program, adjusted to reflect current revenue forecasts. 

The revised Tentative Program is available at azdot.gov/tentative5year for review and comment. ADOT welcomes feedback via an online form at azdot.gov/tentative5year, by email at [email protected] and by phone at 855.712.8530. 

The Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program allocates funding for statewide preservation, modernization and expansion projects. It provides an annual update to ADOT’s lineup of all statewide projects, including both highway and airport components, and must be fiscally constrained.  

PHOENIX – Is your child a future engineer? If she enjoys building bridges out of toothpicks, loves heavy equipment such as snowplows or gets a kick out of watching a controlled blast take out rock hanging above a roadway, you may be raising someone who will design, build, maintain or operate tomorrow’s transportation system. 

With schoolchildren staying home these days, the Arizona Department of Transportation has developed activities and information to feed the interests of kids who dig diggers – or who just like neat videos and coloring stuff. 

ADOT Kids, available at azdot.gov/ADOTKids and the ADOT Blog at azdot.gov/blog, has connected children with facts and videos about snowplows, including a coloring activity and the opportunity to have their questions answered by an ADOT engineer. Zoom virtual backgrounds feature heavy equipment, big bridges and more. A Keep It Grand Adopt a Highway art challenge has encouraged kids to create and share messages about the value of clean highways.

And that’s just for starters. 

“Following Governor Ducey’s call for Arizonans to stay connected during this unprecedented time, we’re offering ADOT Kids as a fun and engaging outlet,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Whether it’s building a bridge, keeping highways free of snow and ice, or doing something else that helps everyone get safely home, we hope that learning about transportation helps develop a child’s interest in the math, science and creativity behind what we do.”

Stay tuned for blog posts and activities on bridge construction and coming up with safety messages suitable for ADOT’s overhead signs, along with daily fun such as quizzes, mazes and word searches. 

For more information, please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids. You also can keep up using the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT’s Twitter (@ArizonaDOT), Facebook (/AZDOT) and Instagram (@Arizona_DOT) accounts.

PHOENIX – Beginning Wednesday, motorists on Arizona highways will see messages on Dynamic Message Signs encouraging them to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s overhead message boards will rotate messages daily that encourage social distancing, like avoiding crowds and limiting travel, and good hygiene, like washing hands and covering coughs.

“Arizona continues to take proactive measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of Arizona citizens,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “These messages reflect guidance from public health professionals and will help us keep Arizonans informed during this time.”

The messages will be displayed indefinitely on ADOT’s 291 overhead message boards statewide.

For more information about what Arizona is doing during the COVID-19 outbreak, visit ArizonaTogether.org, which serves as the central location for Arizonans to find help or provide support. Arizonans can also call the Arizona COVID-19 Hotline by dialing 211. The hotline will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

PHOENIX – Pavement repairs continue, as do highway construction and improvement projects. For long-haul drivers delivering essential goods, rest areas offer truck parking and facilities. Crews patrol Phoenix-area freeways to quickly clear crashes and help stranded motorists.

Along nearly 7,000 miles of state highways, Arizona Department of Transportation employees continue providing a safe and reliable transportation system as part of the state’s pandemic response.

“Throughout it all, ADOT staff – from every corner of the state – remain committed to supporting the people of Arizona and those who are moving critical goods into and through our state,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “We remain committed to supporting Governor Ducey and his leadership as we navigate this situation together, as a state.”

ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division is continuing to assist customers and protect employees by limiting office visits to those needing transactions that must be done in person and by offering those visits by appointment only. Meanwhile, most motor vehicle transactions don’t require an office visit and can be performed at any time by visiting ServiceArizona.com.

At ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center, dispatchers are on duty 24/7 to monitor the freeways and highways across the state for incidents, deploy personnel as needed to keep traffic moving and share critical information on overhead message boards. ADOT’s social media channels, including Twitter (@ArizonaDOT), are real-time sources of information and interaction. Information on highway conditions is available at any time by visiting ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov or calling 511.

ADOT’s rest areas remain open with crews providing heightened sanitary protocols such as more frequent cleanings and regularly disinfecting frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, sinks and faucets. Rest areas are especially important to commercial drivers who use truck parking there to get their required rest.

At ADOT’s commercial ports of entry, officers and other staff handling safety inspections and permitting are helping the Arizona Department of Public Safety support the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's emergency declaration providing regulatory relief for trucks involved in emergency assistance.

Around the state, maintenance crews are repairing pavement and guardrails, removing rockfall and performing other work to keep highways operating safely. ADOT construction and improvement projects are moving forward as well, with no anticipated disruptions.

On Valley freeways, members of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit are on patrol to assist motorists and quickly clear crashes, helping to reduce the chance of secondary crashes by getting traffic moving.

From job sites to offices, ADOT employees are observing social distancing guidelines and taking precautions such as workers using the same vehicles every day. Many meetings involving groups are moving to video conferencing or conference calls.

ADOT is also exploring virtual options for public meetings and public hearings on highway projects and studies. With the public comment period for ADOT’s Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program underway, the public can provide input via an online form at azdot.gov/tentative5year, by email at fiveyearconstructionprogram@azdot.gov and by phone at 855.712.8530. The public comment period lasts from March 20 through 5 p.m. on June 2.

For the most current information about MVD services and appointments, visit azdot.gov/mvd.

*** Updated information December 2020 ***

In December, Gov. Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order deferring requirements to renew standard driver licenses that have an expiration date between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021, by one year from their original expiration date.

MVD office visits are by appointment-only and masks are required to be worn in MVD offices. Some MVD office appointments – permit tests, road tests, Travel ID and driver license renewal – can be scheduled online at AZMVDNow.gov. Other MVD appointments can be scheduled by calling the statewide service number at 602.255.0072 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Vist the Contact MVD page for more information.

Two-thirds of all MVD transactions can be completed online at AZMVDNow.gov and ServiceArizona.com. These include registration renewals, ordering a duplicate driver license, title transfers, sold notices, updating insurance information, and many more.

Customers can also complete many transactions at Authorized Third Party offices.

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd.

*** Original news release from March 2020 is below ***

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division reminds customers that all MVD office visits require an appointment. Only services that have to be done in person are available. This does not apply to Authorized Third Party providers.

To reduce the number of people who may require office visits, Gov. Doug Ducey last week issued an Executive Order extending the driver license expiration date by six months for anyone whose license expires between March 1 and Sept. 1.

In order to make an appointment, customers should call the statewide service number at 602.712.2700 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. In addition to setting up appointments, MVD agents will determine if a customer can get their MVD service online and assist if necessary.  More than two-thirds of MVD services are available at ServiceArizona.com.

For more information: azdot.gov/mvd.

PHOENIX – In order to safely and efficiently serve customers during the ongoing health situation, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division will limit office visits to only those customers who need essential services that must be done in person.

Two-thirds of MVD services are available online, yet many of the nearly 12,000 daily customers statewide visit offices to process transactions that could be accomplished through ServiceArizona.com. Beginning Monday, March 23, appointments will be required for any in-office services. Walk-in customers will be directed to access services online or by phone, or if necessary, to make an appointment to return.

Authorized Third Party offices are not affected by this change and may have services available.

Additionally, in compliance with Governor Doug Ducey’s executive order of March 19, expiration dates for customers whose license or permit expires between March 1 and Sept. 1 have been extended for six months. MVD will automatically update affected customers’ motor vehicle records to reflect that change. Customers may also request a duplicate license through ServiceArizona.com, but this is optional.

“These extraordinary measures are needed because the safety of MVD customers and employees is our first priority,” said MVD Director Eric Jorgensen.

Beginning Monday, March 23, a new statewide customer service phone call-in system at 602.712.2700 will begin operations between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Customers may set up office appointments for essential services that cannot be done on the phone. But in the vast majority of cases, customers will be assisted with those services remotely. A list of services that can be done entirely online can be found at ServiceArizona.com. Many transactions can also be done through the U.S. mail.

In many instances, the MVD staff member will help the customer access his or her AZ MVD Now account to process some services. AZ MVD Now is a secure, personal account that is already available to all current MVD customers through ServiceArizona.com.

Among the transactions that must be conducted in MVD offices are first-time driver license services, including photos, road testing and some written testing, commercial driver license testing, and some out-of-state title services.

To make an appointment for these in-office services, please call 602.712.2700 Monday–Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Customers who already have a valid Arizona driver license or permit and a photo on file do not need to come to MVD in the majority of cases.

PHOENIX – Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Arizona Department of Health Services, residents needing to conduct business with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division are encouraged to explore more than 30 available online services instead of office visits. 

ServiceArizona.com, the state’s official online portal for MVD services, can quickly and easily perform most common vehicle-related transactions, including registration renewals. By setting up an account at AZMVDNow through ServiceArizona.com, users can take learner’s permit tests at home, conduct vehicle title transactions and receive a range of other services. 

The goal during this time is to limit customer traffic at MVD offices to prioritize those who need to conduct business that’s not available online, such as driver license renewals or applications.

“Every day, the goal of the Motor Vehicle Division is to get Arizona residents out of line and safely on the road. That goal is now more important than ever,” said Eric Jorgensen, director of the Motor Vehicle Division. “Customers needing to conduct routine transactions that are available online are urged to do so through ServiceArizona.com, helping to reduce lines at MVD offices and support safer environments for those who must visit our offices.” 

Two-thirds of MVD services are available online, yet many of the nearly 12,000 daily customers statewide visit offices to process transactions that could be accomplished through ServiceArizona.com. Transitioning customers to online services remains a top priority for ADOT. For those who must visit an MVD office, however, rest assured that the department is taking all precautions, including using professional cleaning services throughout the day, keeping ill employees at home with paid leave, and ensuring all offices are stocked with cleaning supplies. 

Online services include:

•Replacement Driver License or Identification Card

•Address/Email Change

•Driver License Reinstatement

•Motor Vehicle Record

•Vehicle Registration Renewal

•Aircraft Registration Renewal

•Commercial Vehicle Permits

•Duplicate Vehicle Registration

•Restricted Use 3-Day Permit

•30-Day General Use Permit

•Emissions/Registration Check

•Fleet Registration Renewal

•De-Insured Certificate

•Insurance Update and Vehicle Reinstatement

•Insurance Verification

•Lien Motor Vehicle Inquiry

•Off-Highway Vehicle Decal

•Permanent Placard Renewal

•Personalized/Special Plates

•Plate Credit

•Plate Refund

•Registration-Compliance ­Violator

•Sold Notice

•Tab Replacement

•Vehicle Fee Recap