With 2020 Census upon us, everyone counts when it comes to transportation funding.

As we told you last week, census figures play heavily into how federal funding is apportioned to various states. Each person recorded on the census in Arizona equals nearly $3,000 in federal funding per year toward such things as transportation, community centers, housing and medical services. On the transportation side, federal funding – again, linked to census data – accounts for more than 90 percent of the money that is put into road projects throughout the state. And we're not talking only about state highways here, but county and municipal projects. Census data is also used on the state level for calculating distributions from the Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF).

In fiscal 2019, federal transportation funding added up to nearly $737 million for Arizona. Much of the annual allocation goes toward programs improving the national highway system, addressing congestion mitigation and air quality, and supporting metropolitan planning and surface transportation. Federal transportation programs for local governments and metropolitan planning organizations, such as the Maricopa Association of Governments and Pima Association of Governments, provided nearly $100 million in fiscal 2019.

Population is a leading factor in how the Federal Transit Administration allocates funds for the formula grants ADOT administers for rural areas, going toward capital, planning and operating assistance. It’s also a leading way the federal government allocates formula grants for transit capital, operating assistance and planning in urban areas.

So now that you are all enthused for filling out the census, how do you do it? Well, you can get more information and fill it out online by visiting census.gov. You also can help by following and sharing from @AZCensus2020 on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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 John Halikowski / ADOT Director

As commercial truck drivers travel on Interstate 10, they can find themselves unable to find public parking at rest areas. You may have seen commercial trucks parked along entrance ramps and freeway shoulders when rest areas are full. To me, it’s a safety issue. To provide a safer and more efficient system for these drivers, the Arizona Department of Transportation is joining departments of transportation from Texas, New Mexico and California in seeking a federal grant to develop a program alerting commercial truck drivers to available public parking at I-10 rest areas.

In 2016, these four departments of transportation formed the I-10 Corridor Coalition with the purpose of creating a safer and more efficient travel, both commercial and personal, on this important interstate. I-10 is the primary trucking route connecting markets of Southern California and Texas with international shipping.

When we launched the I-10 Corridor Coalition, this kind of collaboration is what we DOT directors had in mind. By working together, our states can create a safer environment on I-10 that will be more efficient for drivers and boost economies in the region.

The I-10 Corridor Coalition is seeking a $13.7 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Grant through the Federal Highway Administration. Through the grant, we are proposing a system that would inform drivers about available parking at rest areas through signs along I-10. Commercial drivers could better plan their schedules. We could improve safety by reducing the number of drivers who park along ramps and freeway shoulders, not to mention reducing time it takes drivers to find available parking spaces – cutting down on emissions and fuel consumption.

For Arizona, we would have ADOT rest areas in each direction at Bouse Wash (milepost 53) and Burnt Well (milepost 86) on the western edge, and at Texas Canyon (milepost 320) and San Simon (milepost 388) on the southeastern side of the state as part of the system.

This grant is a win-win for commercial truck drivers and a way to boost the region’s economy in moving goods more efficiently. When you combine the economies of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, this region represents the 10th-largest economy in the world.

You can learn more about the I-10 Corridor Coalition at i10Connects.com.

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

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

The visuals may be a little better these days, but there’s definitely a lot to recognize in this map presented at a 1971 public hearing on a proposed connector for US 60 and US 70 in Globe.

The current route of US 60 between the metro Phoenix area and Superior, Miami and Globe was mostly determined in the 1940s and 1950s. Between Miami and Globe, most of the route was built and modernized to four lanes using existing city streets in the 1950s. In Globe in particular, that meant mainly Hill Street. That finally changed in 1977 when the highway was moved off the narrow city streets to the route that exists today.

According to a 1971 Draft Environmental Impact Statement produced by the Arizona Highway Department (the precursor to ADOT) and the Federal Highway Administration, the goal of the road realignment was a “safer, more capacious through route” that would address congestion in Globe “produced by the hazardous convergence of local and foreign traffic…” Average daily traffic on the highway at the time was calculated at 10,000 vehicles per day, the document says.

Map at Globe public meeting

Part of the problem, according to statement, is the speed limit dropped from 50 to 60 mph, on either side of Globe, to 25 mph in the more congested parts of the city. Two 90-degree turns at intersections were another challenge. The road was also prone to complete stoppage due to vehicles trying to make a left-hand turn off the highway.

Some thought was given to widening and resurfacing the existing highway, and to adding more traffic signals, but that was deemed unfeasible because of the heavy volume of traffic. The Arizona Highway Department also offered a slightly tweaked alternate route around downtown Globe as a possibility.

A public meeting was scheduled for April 28, 1971, in the American Legion Building on Broad Street in Globe to talk about the proposed connector.

Globe public meeting attendees

And that’s what this photo is about – meeting with locals to discuss the road’s new alignment. You can see the public turnout (and presumable interest) for yourself.

Much has changed since this meeting – including our name and definitely the quality of our poster boards ­– but the one constant is our commitment to gathering public input to design the best improvements for you.

Just a few recent examples of this: Last month, ADOT held a public meeting in Black Canyon City to discuss improvements to Interstate 17 between Anthem and Cordes Junction. The agency held two public meetings in Flagstaff on May 3 and May 10 to discuss US 180 and Milton Road. It also has two upcoming meetings planned on May 22 and May 30 in Ahwatukee and Laveen to discuss two additional interchanges under consideration for the South Mountain Freeway.

So next time we advertise a public meeting, know that we are committed to hearing from you about what you want in your roadways – and that we do a better job taping maps to walls now.

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

The transportation world is poised to rapidly change with the advent of autonomous vehicles and ride-sharing companies and an increased desire from the public for multimodal options. For agencies like ADOT, innovation is vital to serving future generations.

Luckily, we have the Arizona Council for Transportation Innovation, a product of the Federal Highway Administration’s Every Day Counts Initiative. Formed in 2012, the council supports innovative technologies and techniques to ensure smart, efficient investment in Arizona's highways and other transportation infrastructure.

The council is made up of officials from ADOT, the Federal Highway Administration and Maricopa and Pima counties, along with engineering professionals.

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, the council held its first all-day Innovation Exchange Campaign event in Tempe, bringing together transportation professionals and engineers from government organizations such as ADOT and from companies.

The photo above shows David Riley (left) and Andy Murray of ADOT’s Traffic Technology Group explaining a test involving the timing of ramp meters along State Route 51 in Phoenix. This test is aimed at seeing if adjusting meters can improve traffic flow.

Other booths featured innovations like the ability to produce high-quality digital mapping from a moving vehicle, methods to more efficiently and intelligently manage traffic flow, new synthetic materials to increase the lifespan of transportation infrastructure and even 3D printed recyclable vehicles.

“New innovations help make things smarter, faster and more cost-efficient,” said Karla Petty, Arizona division administrator for the Federal Highway Administration and co-chair of the Arizona Council for Transportation Innovation. “Innovation allows us to get more out of what we have.”

By Brock Barnhart / ADOT Communications

It takes many people, from the planning phase through construction, to take a proposed project like Interstate 11 from an initial concept to a transportation solution. With a three-year environmental study that began recently for a corridor between Nogales and Wickenburg, here’s a quick rundown of who’s involved. You can also click on the infographic to expand it.

Lead agencies

The Federal Highway Administration is the federal lead agency and the Arizona Department of Transportation the local study sponsor for the ongoing Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement required under the National Environmental Policy Act. Together, they lead the environmental review process and guide involvement from others.

Cooperating agencies

These include federal agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise regarding environmental impacts. Other agencies or tribal governments may also qualify if the Federal Highway Administration concurs. Cooperating agencies typically have a higher degree of involvement in the environmental review process.

Participating agencies

Certain federal, state, tribal, regional and local agencies with an interest in the study provide meaningful and specific insights. The role of participating agencies is broader and less-involved than that of cooperating agencies.

Public at-large

These partners range from other agencies to organizations to individuals who wish to be involved. These stakeholders tend to have specific interests in the study, such as living or working in the study area. This effort could not be done without their participation and involvement.

Editor's Note: We shared today that the start of the I-11 Wickenburg-to-Nogales study process had strong involvement from the public. Everyone can provide input at any time. Please visit i11study.com/arizona for information on the study and ways to get involved.

In case you missed the news yesterday…

The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway has received final approval from the Federal Highway Administration, which means ADOT can now move the project forward.

The Record of Decision, signed March 5 by the Federal Highway Administration, grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, complete the design and begin construction of the 22-mile-long freeway to serve the metro Phoenix region.

Looking back

If you’ve lived in Arizona for a while, you’ve probably been hearing about the proposed South Mountain Freeway since the 80s.

It has been a critical part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Freeway Program since it was first included in funding through Proposition 300, approved by Maricopa County voters in 1985. The freeway was also part of the Regional Transportation Plan funding passed by Maricopa County voters in 2004 through Proposition 400.

More recently, you might also remember the environmental review process, which included preparing both draft and final environmental impact statements.

Looking ahead

The recent Record of Decision will allow ADOT to begin final design and subsequent construction of the South Mountain Freeway. Acquisition of right of way is expected to begin immediately. ADOT has determined that, pursuant to an unsolicited proposal submitted to construct the freeway, construction will follow a public-private partnership path, helping to speed construction and reduce overall costs. The freeway would not be tolled under any public-private partnership proposal, but would include a private group involved with final design, construction and a 30-year agreement to maintain the freeway.

The freeway will be constructed with four lanes in each direction – three general-use lanes and one HOV lane – and modern features that have made Arizona freeways stand apart from other states for a generation, including rubberized asphalt and aesthetics designed in partnership with the community. The $1.9 billion project is expected to take about four years to construct.

Got questions?

You can also revisit some of our previous blog posts.