Flooding from the hurricane remnants that lashed Arizona last week, exacerbated by tens of thousands of acres of high desert burned in the Woodbury Fire, caused extensive damage along State Route 88 east of the Valley. As of today, an unpaved stretch of SR 88, also known as Apache Trail, remains closed indefinitely between Tortilla Flat and Roosevelt Lake while our engineers assess the roadway and what is required to reopen it. 

One way we're conducting this evaluation is through the use of drones, which provided the footage at right from the area around Fish Creek. 

Our crews have re-established access from Apache Junction to Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat, along a paved section of the state highway.

At this time, there is no estimate on when Apache Trail will reopen between Tortilla Flat and Roosevelt Lake. Safety is our No. 1 priority. We'll reopen this remote, unpaved stretch when it is safe to do so.

This video provides a window into what we're facing between Tortilla Flat and Roosevelt Lake.

By David Woodfill / ADOT Communications

As the saying goes, a picture is worth of thousand words. With that in mind, we'll let the footage above, showing State Route 179 south of Sedona, speak for itself.

These awe-inspiring views wouldn't have been possible without two drones we're now using in ADOT Communications thanks to a federal grant that also covered training for two drone pilots recently certified by the Federal Aviation Administration.

One of our goals at ADOT is making transportation personal. These drones will help us do that by offering a new perspective on highways and improvement projects.

"Many of ADOT’s projects are so large that it’s really tough to give the viewer a true perspective on the scale of the work being done," said John Dougherty, one of our drone pilots. "By being able to get above, away from and around the project, we can better illustrate the work being done.”

Dougherty captured some breathtaking aerials of ADOT projects including the work on the interchange of Interstate 10 and State Route 87.

"We are capturing visuals that we’ve never been able to get without access to a helicopter," said Kim Katchur, ADOT's video production project manager. "The I-10/SR 87 project is a great example."

Flying a drone isn't as simple as flying a radio-controlled model airplane, Dougherty said. There are procedures and protocols to follow to protect safety and property.

"If I’m asked to shoot video with one of our drones, I first need to verify what category of airspace I’ll be flying and ask permission from the air traffic control if I’m within the airspace of an airport," Dougherty said. "I also need to be aware of things like migratory birds and other wildlife. I can’t fly over people, traffic, or at night. And I’ll need permission to fly in a wilderness area such as a state park.”

Viewing these videos, it's clear that the effort is well worth it, and we look forward to bringing you more stirring views from above showing our highways and projects as well as Arizona's natural beauty.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Driving along Interstate 10, about halfway between Tucson and Phoenix, you can see that’s something happening off to the east side of the freeway at State Route 87.

Here’s a better perspective. John Dougherty, ADOT’s newly FAA-certified drone pilot, shot this amazing video to capture the whole project from above.

In less than 10 months, crews have built nearly 4 miles of what will become the new westbound lanes of I-10, bridges over both nearby railroad tracks and the future alignment of I-10, freeway ramps and more.

When the work is done about one year from now, drivers will have six new lanes of I-10, a wider new interchange with SR 87 and a dust-detection zone, the first of its kind on US freeways.

Starting Thursday, Oct. 4, SR 87 will close between I-10 and Milligan Road so we can continue work on the new section of SR 87 and complete the new interchange. The closure is expected to continue until mid-December. Drivers can exit I-10 at Sunshine Boulevard and take Casa Grande-Picacho Highway to SR 87. There are no restrictions on I-10.

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications

Transportation agencies across the country have realized the value of utilizing aerial drones as part of their missions to improve the highway networks they build and maintain. ADOT is no exception.

In spring of last year, ADOT purchased its first drone for use by the agency’s Engineering Surveys Section, which is part of the Infrastructure Delivery and Operations division.

The job of learning to operate and become the remote-control pilots for ADOT’s drone was literally placed in the hands of Photogrammetry Team Leader Marty Leveque and Transportation Engineering Specialist Abel Federico.

“We crossed over that learning curve last year and have been busy since the start of 2018,” said Federico, who recently assisted the agency’s Central District with one of its efforts.

“They wanted to get a better look at how the traffic control setup along US 60 was working for traffic entering the Renaissance Festival in the East Valley,” said Federico. “So I was able to launch and fly our drone next to the highway and record video of vehicles using the primary parking lot entrances on a Saturday morning. The maintenance team was pleased with the results.”

“It’s very valuable,” said Raul Amavisca, Central District’s engineering administrator for maintenance. “Turning areas were improved for east- and westbound entry points at the festival grounds this year to help move eastbound US 60 traffic in the area. The drone video gave us a better view of how that’s working.”

The ADOT drone is a Trimble ZX5 and works well for the agency’s purposes.

“It has six motors and is designed to remain stable and level even when winds are in the range of 15 to 20 mph,” said Federico. “We’ve certainly learned a lot as remote-control pilots with the flying we’ve conducted in the past nine months.”

The two ADOT drone pilots are well versed in the rules for operating a drone. Those include no flying above 400 feet, no flying directly above moving traffic on a highway and operating only during daylight hours.

Video taken during other drone flights has helped with 3-D modeling of a cliff face for a rockfall containment project and the surveying of storm-runoff damage along another highway.

“The accuracy and reliability of the drone video, along with the computer-aided design work that our staff also does, leads to improved results,” said Federico. “We’re still in a learning phase, but ADOT is experiencing the benefits of adding the drone to our team.”