Two public meetings in northern Arizona have been scheduled by the Arizona Department of Transportation to share the details of its plan to develop a network of electric vehicle fast charging stations along interstate highways in Arizona.

The first meeting is in Kingman and will be held on Tuesday, November 1st from 5-7 p.m. at the Mohave County Administration Building, 700 W Beale Street.

In Flagstaff, the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2nd from 5-7 p.m. at the Flagstaff Aquaplex, 1702 N Fourth Street.

This is an open house format without a formal discussion; a recorded presentation with study details will be shown throughout the meeting and study team members will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. 

Under the recently-approved plan funded through the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program, Arizona’s Interstate highways including I-40, I-17 and I-15 in northern Arizona, will have improved or new charging stations placed in locations along the highway no more than 50 miles apart. That work is slated to begin in 2023. 

The goal of the federal NEVI program is to encourage adoption of electric vehicles by improving the accessibility, reliability and equity of clean transportation options.

For more information about the EV plan, additional ways to provide input including an online survey, as well as details on upcoming meetings throughout the state, visit /planning/transportation-studies/arizona-electric-vehicle-program

FLAGSTAFF – As the Arizona Department of Transportation makes a final push to complete a pavement project on I-40 between I-17 and Walnut Canyon Road in Flagstaff, drivers should expect alternating lane restrictions and delays while traveling through the area.

Beginning Thursday, July 21, there will be alternating lane restrictions on I-40 throughout the 10-mile project area during daytime hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Drivers should expect delays of 30 minutes or more.

The lane restriction configurations will change over the next few weeks as crews complete paving along I-40. The lane restrictions are expected to last through mid- August. 

The paving project, which began in the spring of 2021, will create a smoother ride for drivers and fix years of winter weather damage to the road surface. In addition to replacing the pavement, work also includes making repairs to bridge decks along the 10-mile stretch and repairing guardrail as needed.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/I40WalnutCanyonRd.

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation has completed pavement improvements along Milton Road, also known as SR 89A, in Flagstaff, creating a smoother ride for drivers.

Most of the work took place at night as crews milled down the worn pavement and laid new pavement down. Crews also made sidewalk repairs and improved curb ramps along Milton from Forest Meadows Street to Phoenix Avenue.

Crews still have some sidewalk improvements left to do over the next couple of weeks. Crews will also return later this summer to complete final striping on the road.

The completion of this project adds to other work completed in the Flagstaff area, including the new Rio de Flag bridge and Fourth Street bridge.

For more information, visit azdot.gov/projects and click on the Northcentral District. 

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation has replaced the A-1 Mountain Road bridge in west Flagstaff ahead of schedule thanks to an innovative bridge construction method. The new bridge was opened to traffic Tuesday, June 7.

Crews used an accelerated bridge construction method known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system. Utilizing this method benefits drivers with a serious savings in construction time, allowing the project to be completed sooner than traditional methods. The A-1 Mountain Road bridge was demolished and replaced in a little over a month.

Crews will return later this month to put down final striping and roadway markings on the bridge. That process will require ramp restrictions.

ADOT first employed this innovative technique a few years ago when the agency replaced the Meteor City Road bridge over I-40 east of Flagstaff.

The $4.9 million project is located about 5 miles west of the I-17 junction along I-40.

For more information on the project, visit azdot.gov/i40-A1-Mountain.

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation will demolish and replace the A-1 Mountain Road overpass along I-40 in Flagstaff in 40 days thanks to an innovative bridge construction method.

Crews will use an accelerated bridge construction method known as a geosynthetic reinforced soil-integrated bridge system. That means crews will create bridge abutments by putting in alternating layers of granular fill reinforced with synthetic material.

In order to replace the bridge, A-1 Mountain Road will be closed to all traffic over I-40 starting Monday, May 2.

During the 40-day closure, drivers will need to use the established detour route. Eastbound I-40 drivers wanting to exit A-1 Mountain Road will be detoured to Exit 191 to turn around and travel west to access A-1 Mountain Road. Drivers on A-1 Mountain Road who want to travel eastbound on I-40 will first travel westbound on I-40  and exit Hughes Avenue (Exit 185) to turn around and travel eastbound.

I-40 will also close overnight at the location of the bridge 16 times in each direction between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. during the 40-day closure so crews can demolish the current bridge and construct the framework for the new bridge. Traffic will use the off- and on-ramps to detour around the closure.

Utilizing this method benefits drivers with a serious savings in construction time, allowing the project to be completed sooner than traditional methods. In addition, a new bridge deck will be constructed using a polyester polymer concrete that can be placed and cured in a matter of days rather than weeks.

The closure is expected to be lifted by Friday, June 10.

ADOT first employed this innovative technique a few years ago when the agency replaced the Meteor City Road bridge over I-40 east of Flagstaff.

The $4.9 million project, located about 5 miles west of the I-17 junction along I-40, is anticipated to be completed by this fall.

For more information on the project, visit azdot.gov/i40-A1-Mountain.

FLAGSTAFF – Beginning Monday, April 4, the Arizona Department of Transportation will improve the pavement on Milton Road in Flagstaff, creating a smoother ride for drivers and repairing years of winter weather damage.

The work will take place along Milton Road, also known as SR 89A, from Forest Meadows Street to Phoenix Avenue near Flagstaff City Hall - a distance of about one-and-a-half miles.

Crews will begin the project by making sidewalk repairs while also bringing curb ramps and driveways into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The initial stage of work will continue for several weeks before crews turn their attention to resurfacing Milton Road.

Paving work will include milling down the old pavement, resurfacing with new asphalt and restriping the road. 

Work will take place mainly during nighttime hours to reduce traffic impacts. Drivers can expect lane closures within any Milton Road work zones while the resurfacing project is underway. 

Improvements to the road’s pavement are anticipated to be completed by the end of the summer.

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation’s Fourth Street Bridge replacement project in Flagstaff is receiving national recognition. The project is among a list of 12 in line for national awards from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). 

The innovative bridge project has already won western regional recognition. For the national award, the three highest-scoring projects from each regional competition earn a place on a “Top 12” list of projects competing for the national Grand Prize – selected by an independent panel of industry judges – and the People’s Choice Award, chosen by the public through online voting. In addition, those top national winners each receive $10,000 in cash awards to be donated to a charity or scholarship of the state DOT’s choosing.

"This project has provided improved access to our campus for our students and families. It also has created safe and healthy alternatives for students who want to walk to school or ride their bikes," said David Lykins, superintendent at Northland Preparatory Academy, a charter school located near the southern end of the Fourth Street Bridge.

The new, wider bridge not only benefits the academy helping students get safely to and from school, but also boosts economic development in the area with better traffic flow and more mobility options.

ADOT State Engineer Dallas Hammit explains the innovative bridge-slide method utilized for the project, “We used a slide technique where the new bridge was built just east of the old one. That allowed us to move the new structure into place in about two weeks. This greatly decreased the inconvenience to the traveling public.” 

After the old bridge was demolished, crews used hydraulic jacks to “slide” the new bridge into place. The method cut an estimated two months off of construction time and saved nearly $7 million over traditional bridge construction methods. This reduced the impact to the local community during construction as well as creating a wider bridge that allows vehicles and pedestrians to safely cross. View a time-lapse video of crews moving the new bridge into place at vimeo.com/442491601. 

Online voting for the People’s Choice Award begins Sept. 24. AASHTO will then announce the winners of both the Grand Prize and People’s Choice awards in October at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in San Diego. Members of the public can visit this link to vote for ADOT’s Fourth Street Bridge project and learn more about all the nominees at americastransportationawards.org.

This is the second year in a row ADOT was honored with the Top 12 recognition. Last year, ADOT’s Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway was named to the list.

PHOENIX – For its efforts to improve traffic flow and safety in Flagstaff, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Fourth Street Bridge replacement project has won a regional award, as announced Wednesday by the Western Region of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Winning in the Quality of Life/Community Development category in the America’s Transportation Awards competition, the Fourth Street Bridge project was recognized for improving safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. The project widened the bridge itself over Interstate 40, adding capacity for vehicles, and created space for bicycles and pedestrians separated by a concrete barrier. The project also connected the Flagstaff Urban Trail System across the interstate.

“We are honored to be recognized for our efforts to improve safety and connectivity in the Flagstaff region,” said Audra Merrick, district engineer for ADOT’s Northcentral District. “This project fits into our mission to connect Arizonans everywhere, every day.”

In addition to creating better community connectivity, the bridge was replaced using the innovative bridge-slide method where crews built the new bridge next to the old one. After the old bridge was demolished, crews used hydraulic jacks to “slide” the new bridge into place.

The method cut an estimated two months off of construction time and saved nearly $7 million over traditional bridge construction methods. This reduced the impact to the local community during construction.

Sponsored by AASHTO, AAA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the America’s Transportation Awards competition was created to showcase the projects delivered by state departments of transportation every year in order to tell the broader story on the importance of transportation. The awards focus on getting more out of the existing system; implementing new technologies and innovations; and projects that improve overall quality of life and enhance community development.

For more information, visit americastransportationawards.org.