PHOENIX – To prepare for a project replacing the Pinto Creek Bridge on US 60 east of the Valley, biologists from the Arizona Department of Transportation and partner organizations spent several days working to protect a native cactus, in some cases rappelling down the canyon walls to do so.

Their efforts over the summer collected samples, seeds and stem cuttings of the Arizona hedgehog cactus, which exists only in areas in Gila and Pinal counties north of the Gila River.

“We have a responsibility to make sure the plants and animals that make Arizona special are protected,” said Josh Fife, ADOT’s biology team lead. “We’re proud that the work we did will make sure the Arizona hedgehog cactus will continue to exist in the one special place in the world where they thrive.”

An upcoming ADOT project will replace the steel Pinto Creek Bridge, which spans a canyon at milepost 238 of US 60 between Superior and Globe. Built in 1949, the bridge is outdated and well beyond its original life expectancy of 50 years.

Workers will build supports for the new bridge and remove supports for the current bridge on slopes that are home to many Arizona hedgehog cactuses. Thanks the efforts of biologists and engineers from ADOT, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix and Tonto National Forest, items removed from areas that will be affected by construction will be replanted once work is complete.

Some of the biologists rappelled into the canyon, while others worked on the rim to collect seeds and haul out samples.

The Federal Highway Administration funded this effort.

About a foot high, usually covered in spines and often with red flowers at the top, Arizona hedgehog cactus looks something like the small animal it’s named after. The species is listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is protected under Arizona law.

Protecting native plants and wildlife is part of every ADOT project. Along the South Mountain Freeway’s 22-mile corridor, for example, saguaros, barrel cactuses and palo verde trees are being kept in temporary nurseries until they can be replanted along the freeway. Meanwhile, biologists working on the project have relocated animals including chuckwallas and burrowing owls. New Ina Road bridges over the Santa Cruz River in Marana, built as part of an ADOT project creating a modern interchange at I-10, include bat boxes that have become a new home for bats that lived in crevices under the old bridge.

PHOENIX – When the Arizona Department of Transportation installs a digital message board, rehabilitates a bridge, renovates a rest area or takes on similar work that makes up nearly all of its projects requiring compliance with federal environmental regulations, the speed of completion can depend in part on coordination with and review by multiple federal agencies.

Recognizing that states can comply with federal environmental requirements on their own while streamlining processes, a new agreement assigns ADOT environmental review authority and responsibility for many projects found to not have significant environmental impacts. A Memorandum of Understanding signed Wednesday by ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration applies to projects commonly referred to as Categorical Exclusions.

“Governor Ducey has challenged state agencies to eliminate red tape and work at the speed of business, and this agreement allows ADOT to accomplish both,” said Dallas Hammit, ADOT state engineer and deputy director for transportation. “We can manage projects more efficiently while continuing to meet strict environmental requirements.”

Congress recognized the benefits of such agreements with legislation creating a program known as CE Assignment to expedite environmental review. This allows a state to assume decision-making and legal responsibility for meeting requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other federal environmental laws otherwise administered by the Federal Highway Administration for projects qualifying as Categorical Exclusions.

Alaska, California, Florida, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and Utah have taken or are pursuing similar action.

To qualify as Categorical Exclusions projects must not significantly affect air, noise or water quality, natural, cultural, recreational, historic or other resources, planned growth or land use, or travel patterns. They also must not require the relocation of significant numbers of people. Categorical Exclusions may require additional environmental analysis and coordination to confirm whether the designation is appropriate.

Other examples of projects that can qualify as Categorical Exclusions include rehabilitating highways, installing ramp meters, adding landscaping, installing utilities along and across highways, and installing fencing, pavement markings, traffic signals and railroad warnings.

ADOT is developing a second Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Highway Administration under what’s known as the NEPA Assignment Program for highway projects that require either an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. That agreement is expected to be in place later this year.

PHOENIX – Along the 22-mile corridor where the South Mountain Freeway will be built over the next few years, archaeologists are working to gather and recover items and information from the past that may have cultural or historic significance.

At one point along the freeway footprint, archaeologists are systematically digging 5-foot-deep trenches looking for signs that ancient people lived or farmed there. At other sites, archaeologists have found pottery pieces and 19th-century shotgun shells, among other items, and also documented historic petroglyphs.

Whether they contain evidence of those who inhabited this area in prehistoric times, artifacts from farms important to the area’s heritage or even an abandoned railroad, these sites must be managed according to federal and state historic preservation laws before freeway construction begins this summer.

Since the start of the study phase in 2001, ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration have been carrying out cultural resource studies and consulting tribal leaders, tribal historic preservation officers, state historic preservation offices, land managers and other stakeholders.

“Protecting and preserving cultural resources is the law, but it’s also the right and respectful thing to do,” said Linda Davis, who leads ADOT’s Historic Preservation Team.

By law, some of this work must remain confidential while it is happening, and sometimes a site will be fenced and monitored by security for safety reasons and to protect what ADOT’s research and field surveys suggest may be found there.

Federal and state regulations require ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration to identify and address any potential environmental impacts that could affect cultural or historic resources, air and water quality, wildlife, noise levels, hazardous waste and more before proceeding with any construction project.

This makes the agency one of the largest sponsors of archaeological research in Arizona. As part of its environmental planning process, the agency considers the effects of transportation projects on sensitive cultural resources by consulting with Native American communities, conducting research and limiting impacts from highway construction as much as possible.

When a site is determined to have historic or cultural significance, ADOT’s Historic Preservation Team develops a plan, in consultation with tribal leaders, tribal historic preservation officers, state historic preservation offices, land managers and other stakeholders to minimize harm from construction. At a site where construction will occur, archaeologists will gather items and information, a process referred to as data recovery.

Work at prehistoric and historic sites may include thorough documentation or excavation and extraction, analysis and preservation of artifacts, which can include sending the identified artifacts to an accredited repository, such as the Arizona State Museum, Museum of Northern Arizona, Pueblo Grande Museum or Huhugam Heritage Center. Historic structures are also documented.

“Building any transportation facility has consequences, including cultural and environmental impacts that ADOT is committed to minimizing as much as possible,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “In fulfilling its environmental commitments, including how it handles cultural resources, ADOT has to strike a balance between the need for a modern transportation network and protecting Arizona’s cultural heritage.”

The South Mountain Freeway, which will run east and west along Pecos Road and then north and south near 59th Avenue, connecting with Interstate 10 on each end, is expected to open by late 2019. The freeway will provide a long-planned direct link between the East Valley and West Valley and a much-needed alternative to Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix. Approved twice by Maricopa County voters, the South Mountain Freeway will complete the metropolitan area loop freeway system.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2016. Preliminary engineering, including geotechnical and utility work, and property acquisition and preparation, have been underway since spring 2015 after ADOT received final federal clearance to move forward.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/SouthMountainFreeway.

PHOENIX ‒ The Tucson facility where the Arizona Department of Transportation repairs and maintains its vehicles has significantly reduced the amount of trash it generates by recycling scrap metal, batteries, automotive fluids, paper and more. Converting to LED lighting has reduced energy use.

Along with ADOT’s repair facility in Springerville, the Tucson operation has been recognized through the agency’s Green Shop program, which seeks to minimize environmental impact, cut waste and increase recycling at 22 ADOT Equipment Services locations.

“We’re reducing the cost to the state because we’re keeping waste down,” said Nathan Carroll, the fuel, scales, environmental and training manager for ADOT Equipment Services. “The end result is increasing productivity. For the taxpayer, that’s a good thing.”

The Green Shop program began in 2006 with a best-practices manual offering guidelines on subjects including keeping shops clean and organized for efficient operations and properly containing spills. It has become an important part of daily operations at all ADOT service shops.

More than 40 government agencies contract with ADOT Equipment Services, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, police departments and school districts. The shops perform preventive maintenance and major repairs on light trucks, snowplows, watercraft, snowmobiles, school buses and more.

Every two years, one full-service shop and one satellite location are honored following three inspections, one of which is unannounced, to see how operations are following the Green Shop guidelines.

An event to honor the Tucson operation was held April 8. An April 18 ceremony is scheduled at the Springerville facility.

PHOENIX ‒ When fuel and other hazardous materials spill along our highways, the Arizona Department of Transportation makes sure the messes are cleaned up properly ‒ and that taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill.

During 2015, ADOT’s Hazardous Materials Response Team saved an estimated $2.6 million by making the commercial carriers responsible or their insurance companies pay to remove contaminants from the soil. Taxpayers would otherwise be responsible for these environmental remediation costs, and the state would have been liable for fines and sanctions if the spills weren’t addressed properly.

Most of the 150 to 250 hazardous materials incidents ADOT responds to each year involve fuel spilling from trucks involved in crashes. About 40 to 50 incidents each year involve shipments of hazardous materials including fuel and acids.

Thanks to the Hazardous Materials Response Team’s efforts, all but a handful of the cleanups are paid for by commercial carriers or insurance companies.

“ADOT is committed to environmental responsibility and making the most efficient use of funds,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “The record of success the Hazardous Materials Response Team has established over the years preserves money for transportation needs.”

When a hazardous materials spill occurs, public safety is the first priority for ADOT and other agencies responding. After that, ADOT makes sure those responsible pay to clean up the road and right of way using contractors approved by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

“It’s just doing the right thing not only for ADOT but for the taxpayers of Arizona,” said Travis V. Qualls, the agency's hazardous materials response specialist. “Why should we be paying for someone else releasing a hazardous material on our property?”

ADEQ requires a higher level of cleanup in residential areas, but ADOT requires the residential standard regardless of where a spill occurs. The contractor handling a cleanup must complete work as instructed by

ADOT and provide the samples of soil before and after as well as documentation of where contaminated soil is taken.

For more information on ADOT, visit azdot.gov.