Reduce, reuse and recycle: They’re key to protecting natural resources and lessening the amount of trash in our landfills. They’re also an important part of the Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project.

"We reuse as much as we can so nothing goes to waste,’ said Kole Dea, P.E., senior resident engineer with the Arizona Department of Transportation. “If something can’t go back into the project, then it’s recycled.”

Asphalt millings, concrete, metal and steel are the most common types of waste; but the project team has future plans for all of them.

Asphalt Millings

The black material you see piled up in the work zone are asphalt millings. When construction began in summer 2021, crews removed the rubberized asphalt from the surfaces of I-10 and US 60 in the project area. That work created 1.3 million square yards of millings, which are being used as the base layer for temporary haul roads in the project area. Millings provide a strong base for trucks and equipment to drive on, and they reduce dust - another plus for the environment. Millings can also be mixed in with dirt to build embankments that will support the roadway. Outside of the project area, ADOT uses millings on its maintenance roads in unpaved areas. 

Concrete

As walls and other concrete structures are taken down to make way for new construction, they’re broken up so they can serve a new purpose. Crews use equipment to break each piece into sizes no larger than 24 inches.Those pieces are used as fill to build up approaches for new bridges, and can be used to fill in holes or otherwise supplement unstable materials in the project area.

Metal and Steel

Metal and steel products are major components of highway infrastructure, inside and out. In addition to what you can see, they’re also used to reinforce concrete girders and other structures, and strengthen walls. Steel rebar and other materials are broken down and taken to a recycling facility. Fun fact:

Recycled steel is as strong and durable as new steel made from iron ore.

ADOT works in compliance with state and federal regulations to ensure reused materials do not pose a threat to the environment. Careful testing confirms that the paint stripes on milled asphalt don’t contain lead, and that old pipes or bridge structures are free from asbestos. 

As new roadways, ramps and bridges take shape throughout the Broadway Curve work zone, remember how important the infrastructure from the past is to building for the future.

Most of us can only dream of getting 10 million of anything.

10 million! In numeric terms, that's 10,000 thousands, 100 million dimes or 40 million quarters. 

It’s positively mind boggling!  

But ADOT’s Flickr page recently attained the milestone of 10 million page views. That means that there were 10 million times that people clicked on our page, which has dozens of photos albums and nearly 15,000. 

There’s something magical about Arizona’s highways and that magic translates magnificently into our Flickr account. Many beautiful miles, stunning vistas and every manner of fauna and flora is represented. As well as before-and-after photos of highway construction projects large and small with intricate details many of us might miss.  

The account went live in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2013 that ADOT’s Emmy Award-winning Video Services Team began populating it in earnest. 

Now, 10 million views later, the site’s popularity is a delightful mystery to John Dougherty, Video Services supervisor and a main contributor to the account.

Perhaps it’s because of the key words inserted into photo descriptions of images, Dougherty said, terms like ADOT, AZDOT, Arizona Department of Transportation, freeways and safety, in addition to specific descriptors, like I-17 and flex lanes. 

“Or maybe there’s 10 million transportation geeks out there,” he joked. “I cannot explain ADOT’s Flickr popularity, but I like it.” 

In a state where each new bend in the road reveals a new feast for the senses, Dougherty’s team shoots multiple photos of every project, resulting in many different views that are equally eye catching, followed by an intricate, several step editing process.

“Photos on Flickr are the best-of-the-best photos,” Dougherty said.

The photographs aren’t just aesthetically pleasing works of art, they are also historically significant. The photos are grouped into albums representing highway and bridge project from across Arizona, litter pick-up efforts and other important events. 

Are you a history buff? You can check out one of the ADOT Archives albums with photos spanning decades, including a Highways 1970 to 2000 album.

Do you miss the old Pinto Creek Bridge? There are three albums, including the most recent showing construction of the new bridge.  We have plenty of photos of both the old and the new structures. 

We have albums filled with relocating the chuckwalla, saving saguaros, highway art, landslide and sinkhole repairs, wrong way signs, public officials, boulder removal, Adopt a Highway volunteers, snowmobiles during blizzards, and so on.  

Interstingly, the most popular photo, with nearly 8,000 views, isn't so much beautiful as it is newsorthy: It's a photo showing a blocked off road from the US 89 landslide repair from March 2015.

You'll have to give our page a visit soon. Once you do, you’ll probably keep coming back and ADOT’s Flickr page will be faster on its way to 20 million page views!

There’s a famous quote that says, “Without struggle, there is no progress.”  It’s a good one to keep in mind this weekend  if your travels take you along Interstate 10 in the metro-Phoenix region. You might struggle a bit with delays and longer-than-usual detours getting to and from your destinations. Two major closures will be in place beginning the night of Friday, April 22, through the early morning hours of Monday, April 25:

• I-10 will be closed in both directions between State Route 143 and SR 51 for the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project; and
• Eastbound I-10 will be closed between Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) and 75th Avenue as we continue to improve the pavement between Avondale Boulevard and I-17.

Both closures are necessary so we can make progress on two projects that will provide motorists with smoother driving surfaces and more travel lanes, while reducing congestion and improving safety. 

The decision to have two weekend closures on an urban interstate – including one that shuts it down in both directions at the same time – isn’t made lightly. Before any weekend work is scheduled, our project teams in the metro-Phoenix region map out every location on the state highway system where construction or maintenance activity needs to occur. All of the construction and maintenance teams meet to coordinate closures for the following month. They evaluate which directions of travel will be impacted, as well as the most efficient detour routes for high volumes of interstate traffic. They coordinate ADOT project schedules with road work that’s underway on local roads and streets, as well as with major special events that draw 30,000 or more people. 

 

 

At the same time, our project teams are required to follow their project contracts and keep work on time and on budget. That brings to mind another famous quote: “Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.” This weekend we’ve gotta do some very specific work so that both projects can move to the next phase. Bumping one of them this weekend simply wasn’t an option if we want to stay on time and on budget and make the highways better for everyone who uses them.

Our allowable times for major closures also impact when we can do major work. Unlike many other states, ADOT doesn’t close urban highways on weekdays. We schedule the highly impactful work during overnights and weekends, with the understanding that every cone and barricade must be picked up by 5 a.m. on weekdays so we don’t tangle up your morning commute. With weekday traffic volumes back to pre-pandemic levels in many areas, our commitment to maintaining open lanes during peak travel times continues. 

With the limited time available, our project teams complete as much work as they can under the umbrella of a weekend closure. For example, Salt River Project crews need to close I-10 along the Broadway Curve this weekend to relocate a 75-foot-tall, 17-ton power pole and the high-powered lines that span both directions of the highway. The massive pole stands in the way of where the new ramp from southbound SR 143 to westbound I-10 will be constructed. While the SRP closure is in place, workers will take advantage of the opportunity to repair the concrete-pavement driving surface in the project area, and shift the work zone. Combining all the work into one weekend means fewer closures later on – good progress.

Our work in the West Valley includes removing the existing asphalt pavement and repairing the concrete pavement to make the driving surface smoother. Making the improvements requires closure of a full set of lanes (again, eastbound this weekend). As someone once said, “You’ve got to take the good with the bad.” In fairness, someone also said “You’ve got to take the bad with the good.” Either way, you get the point.

As you plan to hit the road this weekend, remember another popular quote: “The best defense is a good offense.” Plan ahead. Check out detour routes in advance. Allow yourself plenty of extra time.

Lastly,  remember what the English soldier who founded the Boy Scouts said: “Be Prepared.” We encourage you to prepare yourself by downloading The Curve mobile app for updates on the I-10 Broadway Curve Project; visiting az511.gov; or downloading the AZ511 mobile app for real-time highway conditions. Then you’ll be ready to process the progress!

What’s yellow, climbs hills, rambles over loose debris and is a key highway construction player? 

If you don’t know, don’t worry. We're about to tell you!

If you could ever call a piece of highway equipment “cute,” this would be it. It has two halves that can accordion close together, kind of like a waist. It has rugged, sturdy wheels. It’s relatively small, 78 by 34 by 52 inches. Yet it’s a heavy hitter, weighing in at 3,200 pounds.

This photograph was taken recently at the Rio de Flag Bridge project in Flagstaff on Historic Route 66, but you can spot these devices at many an Arizona highway construction site. They are typically owned and operated by contractors. 

To find the answer to the question of "what is it," we turned to two ADOT highway officials.

 Engineer Navaphan Viboolmate (Noon), of ADOT’s Bridge Design Section, didn’t hesitate.

“This machine is called a trench roller,” he said.”It operates by remote control.”

It fills in deep, narrow ditches after a contractor has laid pipe and compacts the soil, he said. 

“They are used in trenches and small spaces and controlled remotely so a person doesn't have to be in a tight spot,” said Brenden Foley, assistant district engineer of ADOT’s Northcentral District.

These little engines climb hills, squeeze into narrow spaces, roll easily over unstable soil and yet pack a punch when it comes to compacting soil.

“They have oscillating articulation joints, which improve traction,” Viboolmate said. “They are beneficial in Arizona not only on rugged, hilly terrain, but also around clay and sandy sites.”

The most important function?     

Viboolmate answered, “It improves job safety so that a worker does not need to work in a confined space.”    

To get the specifications on this equipment, you can check out the manufacturers website.

Looking at State Route 264 on a map, it appears as a jagged east-west line in the northeast corner of Arizona.

But appearances can be deceiving. SR 264 is a vital connecting corridor for the Hopi Tribe and other area motorists, much like State Route 51, Loop 101 and Interstate 17 are for Phoenix area commuters.

Winding from US 160 near Tuba City, the state highway links together all 12 Hopi villages and continues on past Steamboat and Ganado and other destinations. The 154-mile Arizona portion ends at the New Mexico state line near Window Rock, where it continues east as NM 264.

This is why the Arizona Department of Transportation rehabilitation of the Dinnebito Wash Bridge on SR 264 near Hotevilla-Bacavi, milepost 363, is so important.  

The deck replacement project, which is nearing completion, is located west of Third Mesa, one of three mesas on the Hopi Reservation that are comprised of the 12 Hopi villages.

Despite it's importance to SR 264 travelers, by bridge standards, this bridge is short at only 212 feet long, said Mokarr

om Hye, Senior Bridge Engineer with the ADOT Bridge Group.

“The main work is replacing the bridge deck,” Hye said. “We demolished it completely. We are increasing the deck thickness.”  

Originally constructed in 1955, the steel girder bridge allows travelers to cross the Dinnebito Wash about three miles west of Hotevilla-Bacavi Village and 40 miles east of Tuba City.

“It is in a remote area, which makes it challenging,” Hye said. “It is really in the middle of nowhere.”

There’s no quick and easy way to get to milepost 363 on SR 264 from central Phoenix. It’s a 276-mile journey starting with Interstate 17 northbound to Flagstaff, Interstate 40 eastbound to Winslow, State Route 87 northbound to the town of Second Mesa and then heading west on SR 264, past Hotevilla-Bacavi to the destination.

Crews are in the second phase of the project. They’ve poured concrete on one half the bridge and are working on the other half.

Since the rehabilitation started in May, SR 264 has been reduced to one lane of alternating travel on the bridge from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, including weekends.

“In terms of schedule, we are on schedule,” Hye said. “The roadway is scheduled to reopen this fall.”

I'll be the roundabout.
The words will make you out 'n' out.
I spend the day your way.
Call it morning driving thru the sound and in and out the valley. -- the band Yes from the song, "Roundabout."

Poor,  misunderstood roundabouts. Long beloved by motorists in France and Britain, they have yet to become universally appreciated by American drivers.

This, despite the fact that with a roundabout, you don’t have to stop and be at the mercy of a traffic light. Because you keep moving, you reduce traffic backups, save money on gas and cutback on pollution.

Also, you can’t get lost. If you miss your turnoff, you can simply circle back. You know, like Chevy Chase’s character did in “National Lampoon’s European Vacation,” where he circled so much around a London roundabout that everyone in the car fell asleep.

This week, the third in September, is 2021 National Roundabouts Week, designated as a yearly event by the Federal Highway Administration. The agency wants to promote the significant benefits of roundabouts as proven safety countermeasures.

Here are some of those benefits, according to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety:

• 90 percent reduction in fatal crashes
• 75 percent reduction in injury crashes
• 30-40 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes
• 10 percent reduction in bicycle crashes
• 30-50 percent increase in traffic capacity
• Reduction in fuel use and pollution
• No signal equipment to install and repair
• Quieter neighborhoods

Did you know that the French love roundabouts so much that they have 30,000 of them? And, Britain is right behind with more than 22,000?  

Arizona has about 80 roundabouts, more than a dozen of which are in the Sedona/Oak Creek Canyon area. The United States had more than 7,100 as of a 2019 tally.

They say the U.S. is usually a step or two behind European fashion, so this isn’t surprising.

But the green lights are on: Roundabouts around Arizona help traffic keep moving!

Along Arizona's highway system, you can find roundabouts at the Estrella Parkway interchange along South Mountain Freeway, on State Route 88 at Superstition Boulevard, and on Interstate 8 at Araby Road in Yuma, just to name a few recent additions.

You can learn more roundabout safety facts and navigation tips on this dedicated page on our website. 

 

We who oversee the ADOT blog love it when new constructions gets underway, mainly because we get to dive deep into the process of taking a project from idea to fully finished road.

That's the case right now with the interim expansion of State Route 24 from Ellsworth Road to Ironwood Drive in the southeast Valley. Preliminary work kicked off before the holidays, but now that it's a new year, drivers can expect to see construction in earnest. 

Which brings us once again around to taking a look at highway construction. Part of the work people might see happening right now is construction of a box culvert near Williams Field. 

Okay, so box culverts. You've probably seen them all your life, but haven't given them much thought. We don't blame you. On the scale of engineering complexity, their design is kind of simple. But that contrasts with their function, which is an all important concern when it comes to road building: moving water. The purpose of a culvert is to help water flow along a channel in such a way to keep it from washing away a road or a bridge. They can come in a variety of shapes - for example round or square - and materials - like either concrete or metal. Depending on a variety of factors such as an expected flow of water, you can have one culvert or multiple ones together. 

We think you get the point. Box cuverts: simple, yet super important. Let's now tie it back to where we started, the ones being built on SR 24 near Williams Field.

The photo here gives you a little perspective on how you go about installing culverts. For reference, the image you see is the inside of the culvert. One of the first things you'll notice is the wooden bracing inside. As we told you about in another blog, that's called falsework. It's job is to help hold up the shape of the culvert until the cement is dried and the whole thing is self supporting. That's what happening here; cement was being poured for the walls and deck the day this photo was taken. 

The blog we just mentioned will also teach you about sand jacks and how the falsework is removed after the cement sets. We may be a bit biased, but we think its pretty fascinating.

With construction expected to last through fall of 2020, expect to see more work like this as we extend two lanes of highway in each direction between Ironwood and Ellsworth, and add bridges over Ellsworth and Mountain roads with additional intersections at Williams Field, Signal Butte and Meridian roads. And, as with all highway projects, you can sign up for traffic alerts and other updates on the project page on the ADOT website. 

If this small glimpse has not scratched your box culvert itch, you can check out the full Flickr gallery of the construction below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If there's a list of experts on Arizona rocks, then ADOT Geologist James Lemmon's name has to be on it.

Like a detective, Lemmon studies the earth at sites before major projects are built. He also examines soil, rocks and moisture properties at the scenes of geologic hazards such as landslides and mudflows.

 “I investigate what earth materials are there and how they can be safely used in our transportation system,” said Lemmon, who works in the Arizona Department of Transportation Geotechnical Design Section-Bridge Group.

 “Whether we cut through them, build on top of them, use them to build up embankments, dig through them for deep bridge foundations, we look at the big picture.”

Nearly every road project has a geotechnical component requiring engineering and geology expertise, which is where Lemmon and the other professionals in his section come in.

“It’s part art, part science and engineering,” he said, which “comes with experience of spending time looking at a (site) and watching how it responds to the natural elements, like gravity and rain.”

Recently, Lemmon and engineer-in-training Ivan Bystrov stood atop what looks like a small mountain on State Route 87 at milepost 224. This is actually the Sunflower Landslide, the remains of an ancient landslide that reactivated - meaning it's no longer stable - after a hard rain about 14 years ago, Lemmon said. 

“Probably about a half of what I do is geologic hazards: landsides, rock falls, slumping roads, over-saturated ground. We go out and triage that,” Lemmon said. 

Water can wreak a lot of havoc on the dry Arizona landscape. Not only when it is part of a powerful storm that picks up rocks and creates landslides, but also when it destabilizes earth.  

One project in the works is removing the top of the Sunflower Landslide to reduce materials that could turn into a landslide, or some other type of hazard, during a powerful storm.  

“The goal is to slope it back, then drill in drainage to lower the soil moisture,” Lemmon said.

There are a number of projects in use along State Route 87, mostly aimed at protecting the road from the mountains through which it was built, including soil nail walls, landslide buttresses, mechanically stabilized earth walls along Slate Creek, pinned rock netting, gabion baskets, soil cement and grouted riprap on Slate Creek banks.

 Lemmon has always been fascinated by earth science. From an early age he collected rocks and was fascinated by fossils.

“In 7th grade I did a science project, ‘This is a Volcano,’ and I got to represent my little school in New Mexico at the science fair,” he said.

Lemmon turned that passion into a bachelor’s degree in environmental geology from Colorado Mesa University and then a master’s in geography from Arizona State University.

He joined ADOT in 2007 as an environmental planner, moving to the Geotechnical Design Section–Bridge Group in 2015. Prior to his time with the agency, he worked for the Arizona State Health Department in groundwater hydrology and then had his own environmental consulting company for 24 years.

But there’s more to Lemmon than rocks. He is passionate about both children and education and served as a Tempe Elementary School District No. 3 Governing Board member from January 2002 to December 2018. In fact, the Laird School named its library/technology center the James J. Lemmon Learning Commons, citing his positive impact and his role in rebuilding five of the district’s 21 schools.

“What an honor,” Lemmon said. “I got involved in the school district 20 years ago when I learned people were moving out of the neighborhood because of the schools.”

Curious as to why, he began solving problems at local schools and was successful in a number of energy reduction initiatives, custodial services redesign, numerous campus reconstructions, opening International Baccalaureate for Middle School and a Montessori school, and 13 years of pay raises for teachers and staff.

Lemmon also enjoys teaching the complexities of Arizona geology to others at ADOT. He loves earth science. And he loves his job. By keeping rocks off highways, he gets to make travel safer for Arizonans. 

Last December there was one question everyone was asking us on social media: Is it open yet?

And it was a year ago today – as you can see in the Facebook post to the right – that we were finally able to say the answer was a definitive yes!

We are, of course, talking about the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which completed the Loop 101 and Loop 202 system and had been approved by Maricopa County voters as far back as 1985. Today it seems almost impossible to imagine the Valley freeway system without it, but at the time it felt like that really big present under the Christmas tree that you can't wait to unwrap.

The South Mountain Freeway had been under construction for three-and-a-half years and represented the largest freeway project in state history. It was also Arizona’s first highway project built using a public-private partnership, which combined design, construction and maintenance in a single contract and saved taxpayers more than $100 million.

During those years of construction we were able to pass along tantalizing details from its construction, including when the first pavement was poured; when native plant species were preserved to be replanted along the freeway; and when the last of 292 bridge girders went into place to span the Salt River. We shared mind-boggling numbers such as the total volume of earthwork moved could fill State Farm Stadium 15 times, or that the amount of rebar used weighed the same 3,100 African bush elephants.

The long-envisioned alternate connector between the East and West Valleys was highly anticipated, to say the least.

Governor Doug Ducey, ADOT Director John Halikowski and other notables gathered for a formal ribbon cutting in mid-December and just a few days later – after all the construction i's were dotted and t's crossed – it was open for any and all interested drivers.

So what did you all think about it? Well below is just a smattering of the praise the South Mountain Freeway garnered on social media right after the opening:

• "Phenomenal job on the 202 extension. Travel it several times from South Mountain to I-10 but today marks the first time I used it to travel to the East Valley. Excellent ride. No need to travel I-10 or travel congested Baseline Rd. Kudos on a job well done. We love it."
• "So grateful for the new 202 loop! It cut so much time off of my commute to and from work. Makes such a difference in your quality of life when you are battling traffic during the week! Thank you to everyone who made this possible."
• "The best! It saved me 30 minutes when driving to Tucson. I loved it!"
• "Our 202 loops and 101 loops are works of complete genius. There will always be a need for freeway upgrades and expansions, but the addition of the South Mountain 202 Loop is nothing short of a miracle. I don't need to use it everyday. I'll let the thrill wear down a bit ... then look out metro Phoenix, it will be my turn! Can't wait!"
• "Crazy how you can get from 59th Avenue/I-10 area to I-10 Ahwatukee area so easy now! Good start to 2020."
• "Great design and construction work, thank you for this great addition to our roadways!"
• "Great job on this new stretch of freeways in the Valley. I drove it yesterday and it's gonna be a time and headache saver for so many drivers. Hats off to all involved!"

And that's before the last parts were even finished, such as the traffic interchange at 32nd Street, a 6-mile shared-use path between 40th Street and 17th Avenue in Ahwatukee and landscaping, which have all now been completed. 

The South Mountain Freeway has even earned national recognition, winning first place in the regional awards for the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards competition and was nominated as one of 12 national finalists.

We can hardly believe that a year has come and gone already, but hope Valley drivers will keep enjoying the South Mountain Freeway for many more years to come.