Graduation ceremonies have taken on new looks and venues this year. But the feelings of accomplishment, joy and maybe even sadness – we see you, parents – are as present as ever.
For that reason, the Arizona Department of Transportation is joining education organizations, school districts, businesses, teachers, families and others to celebrate Arizona Graduate Recognition Day on May 20 and displaying a message on ADOT’s Dynamic Message Signs.
Of course, being a transportation agency, our message has a traffic-safety twist. It reads:
GRADS: YOUR FUTURE
IS AN OPEN ROAD
STAY FOCUSED
Graduates, don’t get distracted and keep sight of what’s ahead – in the figurative sense and, in the literal sense, while driving. And from all of us at ADOT, a big “Congratulations!” to the Class of 2020.
ADOT Kids Activity: Create your own safety message!
ADOT Kids Activity: Create your own safety message!
April 29, 2020
EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on.
By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications
Have you seen the safety messages ADOT puts on digital signs above highways? The messages that sometimes relate to holidays, like Halloween or Thanksgiving, or popular movies, like "Lion King" or "Star Wars?"
We like to have fun with these, and we know that people enjoy seeing funny and creative messages. But we have a serious reason for posting safety messages: We want all drivers to make better choices. Even though our messages are sometimes silly, they all relate to traffic safety and safe driving. Our hope is that drivers will see the message and make better driving decisions, like not speeding, not driving distracted and making sure to wear a seat belt, so there are fewer people getting hurt in car crashes.
With nearly 300 of these Dynamic Message Signs above highways all across Arizona, lots of drivers and passengers – even kids! – can see the messages. The slideshow at right has some of our favorites.
Now, there are some federal guidelines ADOT must follow when we post messages. For instance, with few exceptions all messages must involve traffic information or traffic safety. Also, our signs don’t have unlimited space – they can only fit three lines and 18 letters or spaces per line.
But, in the interest of some ADOT Kids fun, let’s break the rules!
MAKE YOUR OWN MESSAGE: Let your imagination and creativity run wild when thinking up your own silly or serious safety messages. We’ve created a coloring sheet for you to create your own messages, but if your message needs more space, that’s OK. You can use your own paper or even create a message digitally.
You can create a message that follows the federal guidelines of using 18 letters and three lines or a message that goes way over the limit. Or maybe even a message that has words and pictures!
If you already know what you want your message to say, that’s great! If you’re not sure yet, here’s an ideas to get you started: Pick a safe-driving topic that matters most to you like speeding, seat belts, distracted driving, dust storms, work zone safety, motorcycles, car seats or something else.
NOTE: A slideshow with contributed safety messages is below, along with a video showcasing your work and answering questions.
Going somewhere? Message boards statewide say how long it will take
Going somewhere? Message boards statewide say how long it will take
By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications
April 16, 2020
Over the past year we've announced that motorists along the interstates between Tucson and Flagstaff have been able to gauge how long their trips would take thanks to travel times displayed on ADOT's overhead digital message boards.
But what if you don't travel to Flagstaff or Tucson? What if, instead, you are heading up State Route 87 to get to Payson and onto Show Low? Or if you work in Lake Havasu City but live in Parker?
Well, we have some good news. Now if you pass a digital message sign somehwere in the state, chances are it's going to show you how long it will take to get to where you are going. For example, a board at Heber will tell you it's a 50-minute drive to Holbrook, another on US 60 at Wickenburg will say it's 126 minutes to Kingman, while the board on SR 95 in Whetstone will let you know it's a 60-minute drive to Tucson. Of course, if you prefer taking an interstate, you'll also find travel times on the boards along I-8, I-15 and I-40.
This is the lastest expansion phase for highway travel times. Phoenix-area drivers first starting seeing them in 2008, and they eventually were across all Valley freeways by 2014. For the past five years, travel times have been displayed on select message boards along I-10 and I-19 in the Tucson area. In 2018, ADOT started posting travel times along I-17, something we expanded to I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson last year.
Real-time data for the traffic times come from INRIX, a mobility analytics company that helps transportation agencies monitor, measure and manage traffic information. This is different from how travel times are estimated in the Valley, using ADOT’s in-pavement traffic-flow sensors. ADOT designed a software application to automatically process INXRIX’s data for use on the rest of the state highway system.
But ADOT doesn't display travel times just because its nifty informaiton to have. These travel times, in conjunction with the message board's warnings about crashes or closures ahead, can help motorists make informed decisions about the route they want to take. Also, since you can check our message boards on the AZ 511 Arizona Traveler Information site, you can even make those decisions before heading out on the road.
So whether you are heading from Globe to Superior, Quartzsite to Wickenburg, or Yuma to Gila Bend, keep an eye out for this latest batch of helpful information.
New I-17 electronic signs tackle speeding north of Phoenix
New I-17 electronic signs tackle speeding north of Phoenix
December 5, 2017
PHOENIX – Sending a safety message about dangerous speeding on the steep, winding stretch of Interstate 17 in the Black Canyon City area north of Phoenix, the Arizona Department of Transportation has activated six new electronic signs to tell drivers they’re traveling over the speed limit.
These speed-feedback signs, featuring the posted speed limit and a digital screen, display vehicle speeds to I-17 drivers in areas between Black Canyon City and the Sunset Point Rest Area. The signs, which primarily track traffic in the left lane, display vehicle speeds starting 10 mph below the speed limit as well as “too fast” or “slow down” messages focused toward those who are driving above the limit.
ADOT installed the permanent speed feedback signs earlier this year as part of a $1.1 million I-17 safety project between New River and Camp Verde. They were activated in late November.
A study conducted in advance of the I-17 safety project found that Department of Public Safety troopers cited “speed too fast for conditions” as the leading driver violation in more than 40 percent of I-17 crashes that occurred in the Black Canyon City area between 2011 and 2015.
The new speed-feedback signs serve as a safety tool in an area where crashes and other incidents, including disabled vehicles, can cause closures and lengthy delays along I-17’s winding grade.
The three northbound I-17 speed-feedback signs are located near Table Mesa Road (milepost 236), Coldwater Road (milepost 245) and Bumble Bee Road (milepost 247). The southbound I-17 signs are located near Sunset Point Rest Area (milepost 251) and approaching curves on the downhill grade near Bumble Bee Road and Coldwater Road.
Other features of ADOT’s I-17 safety project north of Phoenix include four new digital message boards installed earlier this year to alert drivers to highway conditions and provide safety messages. Crews also have posted additional signs to advise drivers about highway curves.
Speed limits along I-17 generally range from 65 to 75 mph north of Phoenix, with lower advisory speeds on signs in some areas with curves.
ADOT also is studying possible improvements to the I-17 corridor between Anthem Way and State Route 69 at Cordes Junction before finalizing plans for adding new lanes and other safety enhancements.
With the help of funds from the Maricopa Association of Governments, which serves as the metropolitan planning organization for the Phoenix area, projects to add new I-17 lanes in areas between Anthem and Black Canyon City are now scheduled for construction in the years 2021-22.
The concept of building “Demand Lanes” between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point, for use as needed by the busiest direction of travel or in the event of a closure, is just one idea being considered for that mountainous section of I-17. Funding for improvements in that area hasn’t been identified.
