By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

To paraphrase a popular song from 1973 by The Platters, don’t let dust get in your eyes. It is that time of year when we Arizonans brace for our monsoon storms. These storms bring awesome lightning shows, but also winds that can kick up dust from the desert floor and blanket an area so thick, you can’t see in front of you. I would like to remind everyone, residents and visitors, that it is incredibly dangerous to drive into a dust storm.

At ADOT, we have photos and videos showing the gritty and grisly aftermath of collisions that occurred in dust storms. Our award-winning safety campaign, “Pull Aside, Stay Alive,” reminds motorists how they can stay safe if they get caught in a dust storm. The most important thing: Never drive into a dust storm.

I would also encourage you to share these important safety tips with family and friends who are planning to visit our great state this summer. You can also share our FocusOnDriving.com website for other helpful driving tips that will ensure your family and friends stay safe on our roadways.

Whether you like listening to “Dust in the Wind” by the band Kansas or “Sandstorm” by Darude, it’s important to be prepared and to drive safely this summer and avoid driving through dust storms. You can even stream the Dust Storm Playlist we created on Spotify as you travel this summer.

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

By Dallas Hammit / ADOT State Engineer

Summer is officially here, and in Arizona, the season brings with it many weather-related safety warnings to be aware of. As we all know, it’s not just about the heat — we also have monsoons and dust storms to contend with in the coming months.

Over the years, ADOT has strived to reach out to drivers with information on how to plan ahead and take precautions to stay safe.

There are many resources for motorists to learn from, all available on ADOT’s website. You’ll find extensive safety tips on everything from what to do if you find yourself in a dust storm to prepping your car for a road trip.

For convenience, I wanted to share some of those links with you in this message.

High temperatures: Even if your vehicle has air conditioning, you should always be ready for a potential breakdown or crash that could force you to spend an extended amount of time stopped on the road. Find tips on how to prepare at azdot.gov/extremeheat. For those of you who work outside, ADOT has some helpful pages related to heat stress and heat-related illness.

Monsoons: Drivers should always be prepared and, if necessary, be ready to wait out heavy rain, high winds and blowing dust. If you do find yourself on the road during a monsoon storm, you hopefully will remember the precautions available at azdot.gov/monsoon.

Dust storms: The No. 1 thing to remember about dust storms is to NOT drive into one — avoid these walls of dense, blowing dust by safely pulling off the road. If you encounter a dust storm or a dust channel, immediately check traffic around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down. Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Once you’re safely off the road, turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers — you don’t want other vehicles approaching from behind to use your lights as a guide, possibly crashing into your parked vehicle. Set your emergency brake, take your foot off the brake and stay in your vehicle with your seat belt buckled until the storm passes. Find additional safety tips and videos on PullAsideStayAlive.org.

Being well informed and having a plan ahead of time can make a big difference if you’re ever driving in extreme weather. I hope you’ll visit the online safety resources listed above and share the information with your family and friends.

Editor's Note: More safety messages from Dallas Hammit, ADOT's state engineer and deputy director for transportation, are available at Driving Safety Home on azdot.gov.

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director

With Arizona’s monsoon season upon us, the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to remind residents and visitors of the do’s and don’ts while traveling on our interstates and highways, especially when dust storms warnings are announced.

Dust storms can be dangerous and even deadly to drive through. Our mantra has and always will be “Pull Aside, Stay Alive.” If you are traveling on our roadways and an overhead message board signals blowing dust in the area, be vigilant and be ready to pull over onto the side of the road or drive to the nearest exit ramp to go to a safe location to wait out the storm. Don’t drive through a dust storm!

Turn your headlights off including emergency flashers and dome lights, set the parking brake and then keep your foot off the brake. Why? We get asked that question a lot. If you become caught in a dust storm and have pulled off the highway, you’re in a dangerous spot – less dangerous than driving blind on the road – and want to hide. You can do that by turning off all vehicle lights. If you leave your lights on, drivers behind you might believe you’ve found the way out and follow, crashing into your parked car because low-visibility affects depth perception.

Wear your seat belt at all times. Make sure your passengers are also buckled up to keep them safe. Stay in your vehicle. With low visibility, you can easily get injured if you step away from your vehicle.

ADOT has produced 30-second public service announcements on dust storm awareness. The PSAs are airing statewide on television and radio throughout monsoon season as part of our partnership with the Arizona Broadcasters Association, and can be viewed at pullasidestayalive.org.

Flash flooding is also a concern during monsoon season. Downpours can cause instant flooding and wash out roadways especially in low lying areas. Obey road signs and don’t drive through a desert wash that is flooded.

ADOT has more information on dust storm safety at PullAsideStayAlive.org and driving in rainstorms, azdot.gov/monsoon.

Following these simple driving safety tips can mean the difference in staying safe during our monsoon season.

Remember, our fatalities are going up. Speed and intoxicated driving is the problem. Take control of yourself before you take control of the wheel.
 

This post originally appeared on ADOT Director John Halikowski's
LinkedIn page. He has led the agency since 2009.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

The signs of progress are unmistakable. About halfway between Phoenix and Tucson, off to the east of Interstate 10 as you pass Eloy, you can see the groundwork for new lanes of I-10 and rebar for the bridges that will be part of a new interchange for I-10 and State Route 87.

Dave Locher, the ADOT resident engineer leading the project, explains in the video above what’s coming between now and October 2019.

“We’re moving dirt in right now, getting ready for the paving for the new westbound lanes. We’re also building two structures where State Route 87 will go over I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad,” he said.

“At the end of the summer we’ll shift existing westbound traffic onto the new westbound lanes. And then we’ll start to build new eastbound lanes. Toward the end of the project we’ll shift all traffic onto the new lanes.

“Building this freeway offline really is less impactful for the drivers who use this to go back and forth between Tucson and Phoenix. When we open this new road, this section of I-10 will be in a different location. It will be moved to the northeast a few hundred feet and then tie in to the existing lanes.”

The work is part of a $58 million project that also includes widening I-10 to six lanes and creating a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone designed to make the freeway safer for drivers when blowing dust makes it difficult to see the road ahead. Work on the dust detection project will be done as crews build the new eastbound lanes.

“A huge part of this project is to add a dust storm-monitoring program that will detect a dust storm that is coming into this area. It will give us instant message on what drivers can expect,” Locher said.

What will happen once traffic moves to the new lanes?

“One of the last things to get done is we’ll demo the old freeway and you’ll have a brand new intersection where SR 87 and I-10 come together.”

For more on this project, visit azdot.gov/SR87Picacho.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

We get it: When we start work on an important project, the excitement for coming improvements often is tempered with concerns about lane restrictions and road closures. Drivers are worried that things will get worse before they get better.

In two important projects that will begin later this year, Arizona Department of Transportation engineers are taking steps to keep traffic flowing on two busy highways.

In Maricopa, ADOT crews this fall will begin building a bridge to carry State Route 347 over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to eliminate the delay drivers face as many as 60 times every day when train cross the roadway.

To keep from making traffic moving through this important stretch, the bridge and supporting roadway will be built east of the current path. At some point, traffic on Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway will be re-directed north to Honeycutt Road to avoid the work zone, but those delays should be minor. Once most of the work is done, drivers will face lane restrictions as we connect the new road and bridge with today’s road.

Also coming up is a project to widen four miles of I-10 near Eloy and build an innovative dust-detection warning system in the same area. The two-year project also includes replacing the traffic interchange with State Route 87 east of Eloy.

The new interchange will make significant changes to the current configuration. Instead of going under I-10, SR 87 will fly over both the railroad tracks and I-10 to a new diamond interchange. That will occur near the center of the widening project that will turn I-10 into a six-lane freeway, matching the rest of I-10 between Interstate 8 and Tucson.

But like SR 347, the new interchange will be built away from the current freeway lanes. The interchange – along with about a half-mile of new freeway lanes – will be built north of the current lanes. Most of the work will be done with little or no impact on drivers, at least until we connect the new lanes to the existing ones.

The same is true for the dust-detection system being built along the same section of I-10. Most of the work will be done away from the traffic lanes, with only occasional night or weekend lane restrictions.

By Dallas Hammit / ADOT Deputy Director for Transportation

Summer is officially here and it’s no surprise that Arizona is in for some extreme weather over the next few months — soaring temperatures, monsoon rain and dust storms are always in the season’s forecast. While no one can control the weather that’s headed our way, we all can plan ahead and take simple precautions to stay safe.

High temperatures

Even if your vehicle has air conditioning, you should always be ready for a potential breakdown or crash that could force you to spend an extended amount of time stopped on the road.

Besides prepping your vehicle — fueling up, testing the battery, checking tire pressure and topping off vital engine fluids — drivers should make sure they bring along an emergency kit. It can include things like extra water, healthy snacks, a fully charged cell phone (and cell phone charger), an umbrella for shade, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. You’ll also want to have a good first-aid kit and any necessary prescribed medication. Of course, safety gear (reflective vests, flashlights, a travel tool kit and battery cables) is also vital.

You can find additional tips at azdot.gov/extreme-heat.

Monsoons

Monsoon storms can produce sudden, heavy rain. Drivers should always be prepared and, if necessary, be ready to wait out heavy rain, high winds and blowing dust.

If you find yourself driving during inclement weather, be sure to turn on your headlights and, when roads are wet, reduce speed and maintain a safe distance between your vehicle and the one ahead.

Avoid areas where water is pooling in travel lanes. If your vehicle appears to be hydroplaning, ease your foot off the gas pedal until you regain traction rather than braking suddenly, which can cause a vehicle to skid off the roadway. Don’t risk crossing a flooded wash, even if it doesn’t look deep. Just a few inches of running water can carry away a vehicle, even a heavy pickup truck or SUV.

There’s even more safety advice at azdot.gov/monsoon.

Dust storms

The No. 1 thing to remember about dust storms is to NOT drive into one — avoid these walls of dense, blowing dust by safely pulling off the road. Just as dangerous are the smaller dust channels that can whip across roadways in an instant, giving drivers little or no opportunity to avoid them.

If you encounter a dust storm or a dust channel, immediately check traffic around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down. Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway — do it as soon as possible. Once you’re safely off the road, turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers — you don’t want other vehicles approaching from behind to use your lights as a guide, possibly crashing into your parked vehicle. Set your emergency brake, take your foot off the brake and stay in your vehicle with your seat belt buckled until the storm passes.

Find additional safety tips and videos on PullAsideStayAlive.org.

Knowing what to do and having a plan could make a big difference if you’re confronted with extreme weather. I encourage you to visit the online safety resources listed above and share the information with your loved ones.

Editor's Note: More safety messages from Dallas Hammit, ADOT's state engineer, are available at Driving Safety Home on azdot.gov.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

The plan: Use cutting-edge technology to identify when dust storms might be forming and let the public and media know when and where. Activate signs in the area where dust storms are most likely to encourage drivers to get off the road.

But this was 1973, and technology wasn't ready to keep up with engineers’ imaginations. According to Desert Dust: Origins, Characteristics and Effect on Man, edited by Arizona State University geologist Troy Pewer, an analysis performed in 1975 showed that warning signs were unable to keep up with changing weather conditions.

“The time delay between field observation and sign activation or status change resulted in warning messages displayed when they were unwarranted, or no warning messages displayed when dust was blowing,” he wrote. Even if the warnings had been accurate, many drivers ignored them: 66 percent reported that they made driving decisions based only on the weather outside their windshield.

A redesigned warning system in 1976 gave only general warnings and alerted drivers through announcements on three commercial radio stations. An analysis determined that, despite limited data, the warnings made it less likely drivers would be involved dust-related crashes.

Fast forward.

As Monsoon 2017 begins, ADOT is getting ready to seek bids for work on a pilot dust detection and warning system that will use many of the same principles as that 1973 program.

The difference this time: 21st century technology.

By late 2019 or early 2020, a 10-mile section of Interstate 10 near Picacho will have a detection system that will identify reduced visibility along the freeway and look into the distance for approaching storms. Warnings signs, overhead messages and reduced speed limits will activate automatically. Traffic operators will monitor the situation via closed-circuit cameras.

Just as in past decades, turning a good idea into safer freeways when dust blows will depend on what drivers do with the information. ADOT has been asking drivers to Pull Aside, Stay Alive since 2011, and that applies whether you're driving through between mileposts 209 and 219 on I-10 or anywhere else in Arizona.

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

Everyone knows it’s dangerous to drive into a massive, towering dust storm. It’s easy to avoid these because they can be seen miles in the distance, giving drivers the opportunity to exit a highway or choose a different route.

But what about blowing dust that whips across the freeway and engulfs your vehicle in low or no visibility without warning? These are called dust channels, fast-moving blowing dust events that can cause serious crashes because they give drivers little or no time to respond.

If you encounter a dust channel – or one encounters you – follow the Pull Aside, Stay Alive tips:

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm.
• If you encounter a dust storm, immediately check traffic around your vehicle and begin slowing down.
• Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway – do it as soon as possible.
• Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane. Look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the highway.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including emergency flashers. You do not want other vehicles approaching from behind to use your lights as a guide, possibly crashing into your parked vehicle.
• Set emergency brake and take foot off the brake.
• Stay in vehicle with seat belts buckled and wait for the storm to pass

While blowing dust can occur anywhere in Arizona, there’s a stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson where dust channels often suddenly develop. Half of all blowing dust-related crashes on I-10 occur within a half-mile of milepost 214, northwest of Picacho Peak. In response, ADOT is in the process of installing a first-of-its-kind dust detection zone from mileposts 209-219.