Nine months into a project to rebuild the Interstate 10 interchange at Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro, drivers have something to look up to.

It’s not just one thing to look up to, but 15 massive new bridge girders that have been set in place to create half of the Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro structure that will eventually span the interstate in Tucson.

The bridge girders over the new eastbound lanes of I-10 are the most high-profile sign of progress to date on the $129 million project that began in January. They’re visible from quite a distance to drivers on I-10, and for good reason – they’re massive. The girders stretch 138 feet and stand 6 feet tall. Each one weighs in at 158,000 pounds.

The girders are just one part of constructing the bridge, as crews will spend the next couple months building the bridge deck that will eventually carry traffic.

Aside from the bridge girders, crews have rebuilt about one mile of eastbound I-10 with a new concrete surface. Also, retaining walls for the new eastbound frontage road are going in. 

You can expect to see more bridge girders going into place this October, when the structure over the Union Pacfic Railroad to the east of I-10 will start to take shape.

As for the remaining bridge section over westbound I-10, crews will begin that segment in early 2021. By January, we expect to shift both eastbound and westbound traffic onto the new eastbound I-10 lanes. That will allow crews to construct the westbound portion of the bridge while also reconstructing the westbound I-10 lanes.

Once the interchange is complete by late 2021, drivers can cross over the railroad tracks without having to stop for the train.

Don’t forget: ADOT is maintaining access to local businesses through the entire project. For updates and traffic alerts, please visit azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

We're blowing out the candles for the Deck Park Tunnel as it turns 30! 

You may have noticed the Deck Park Tunnel was closed this past weekend, but there was no birthday makeover happening. The closure was to allow crews to perform regular maintenance. Our video from earlier this year explains the work crews do each quarter to keep the 30-year-old tunnel looking its best.    

Let's go back to the beginning and the tunnel opening in August 1990. Before the Deck Park Tunnel officially opened to traffic on Aug. 10, the public was allowed to walk, ride and tour the tunnel. When it began taking traffic in 1990, the tunnel was touted as the final segment that connected Interstate 10 from coast to coast. The 2,500 mile interstate begins in Santa Monica, California and ends in Jacksonville, Florida and took more than 30 years to complete. Interstate 10, just in Arizona, is nearly 400 miles long. 

Before we continue, it's important to note the Deck Park Tunnel isn't actually a tunnel. It consists of 19 side-by-side bridges. On top of all of those bridges is Margaret T. Hance Park. The 32-acre city park is more than just a green space. It's home to Arizona Humanities, Burton Barr Central Library, Cutler Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, Irish Cultural Center, Japanese Friendship Garden, and Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Now, back to the Deck Park Tunnel, also known as the Papago Freeway Tunnel. The tunnel has much more going on than the 290,000 vehicles that travel through it each day. It is home to more than 3,000 lightbulbs, 4 large ventilation fans and one hidden lane. That single lane goes between the east- and westbound tubes and was meant to be an express bus lane. It's not in use and is closed to the public. The tunnel is also home to a control room. It was the original location for the ADOT Traffic Operations Center. Today, ADOT employees who manage the tunnel and its operations work in that control room. You can see the original control panel in the photo to the left.

We hope we've given you a good background on the Deck Park Tunnel and that you've gained a new appreciation for the birthday girl the next time you drive through it! If you'd like to learn more about the tunnel, visit the ADOT Blog.

The entertainment industry has its annual awards that showcase “the best of” in movies and TV shows. The transportation industry is no different as we have annual awards programs that recognize transportation projects that are making a difference in communities across the country. I am pleased to announce the Arizona Department of Transportation recently received three regional awards in the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards competition.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AAA, America’s Transportation Awards showcases transportation projects delivered by state departments of transportation and tells the story of the importance of transportation to our communities. With 79 projects nominated nationwide in three categories, the competition was fierce.

Under the category “Best Use of Technology and Innovation – Large Project,” ADOT won for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project. As our first public-private freeway project in ADOT’s history and the state’s largest single highway project at $2 billion total, the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project is the final leg of the loop transportation system in the metropolitan Phoenix area that connects the West Valley to the East Valley. Using the P3 method, we built the freeway as a single project and saved nearly $100 million. We are already witnessing the economic development opportunities in the area and reduction in commute times for drivers.

Under the category “Quality of Life/Community Development – Small Project,” ADOT tied for first place with the State Route 347 at Union Pacific Railroad project. We built a six-lane divided overpass with raised medians and sidewalks to carry traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians over the railroad track in the City of Maricopa. Now, the community doesn’t have to wait for trains to pass by on its main north-south corridor. The City of Maricopa is reaping the benefits of the project with shortened emergency response times and construction has begun on several commercial projects. Most importantly, drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists can safely travel on this major corridor without delay due to train traffic.

Under the category “Operations Excellence – Medium Project,” ADOT tied for first place again with the I-10/SR 87 Improvement Project with Dust Detection System. This project added a travel lane in each direction on a four-mile stretch of Interstate 10. We also built a modern interchange at SR 87 with two lanes in each direction plus turn lanes and traffic signals over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. But, the cornerstone of the project is the installation of a first-in-its-kind dust detection and warning system. Blinding dust storms in the area between Tucson and Phoenix have been a safety concern to us for years. The dust detection system is helping us improve safety for the traveling public.

As a regional winner, our projects will be considered for the next phase of the nationwide competition, making it into the “Top 12” list. These 12 projects compete for the two top prizes – the Grand Prize, chosen by an independent panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award which is determined by the public through online voting this fall.

I applaud the men and women at ADOT who design, build and maintain a transportation system that ensures we meet our True North, Safely Home. And thank you as well to the many stakeholders involved in these award-winning projects. Receiving the recognition by our peers in transportation makes me very proud and validates the outstanding work we do for the people of Arizona.

We all know what to expect when the monsoon whips up dust storms that race across the desert between Tucson and Phoenix: strong winds, limited visibility and hazardous driving conditions.

But drivers on that stretch of Interstate 10 should expect something very different this summer when storms hit: reduced speed limits, speed feedback signs and new overhead boards that display urgent safety messages.

These features are now working together as part of ADOT’s dust detection and warning system, which became operational just in time for the 2020 monsoon season that officially began June 15. This video shows you how this first-of-its-kind system works on a 10-mile segment of I-10 between Eloy and Picacho Peak, along with what drivers will see when dust storms automatically activate the system.

This system was developed by ADOT to improve safety during dust storms. But it only works if drivers heed the warnings. So make sure to pay extra attention to the safety messages on overhead signs and to obey the reduced speed limits, which are enforceable. Speed limits can drop to as low as 35 miles per hour, depending on real-time conditions in the area.

You can read more about the dust detection and warning system on our website.

Please remember that this technology is no substitute for common sense. Wherever you are traveling, be sure you've reviewed our dust storm safety tips at PullAsideStayAlive.org. 

If you drive along Interstate 10 near Ruthrauff Road, you’ve almost certainly noticed mounds of dirt that keep rising higher and higher along the highway’s west side. It’s a can’t-miss sign ADOT crews are making progress on the project to rebuild this busy Tucson interchange at Ruthrauff Road/Camino del Cerro.

But there’s a lot more going on that’s not in plain view.

More than four months into the $129 million project, change is constant as crews work to build a new bridge over I-10 and the train tracks. This video shows some of the work you likely can’t see while you’re on the road.

First, the dirt. Crews are piling up all that earth to raise the grade for the future eastbound frontage road.

You’ll also see clusters of rebar sticking out of the ground. Soon, they will support concrete piers for the future Ruthrauff Road/El Camino del Cerro bridge.

One large feature at the site is a rebar grid that crews are still assembling. It’s part of a drainage structure that will pass under I-10.

Some other progress is less visible. Construction is still underway on the loop roads east of the railroad tracks. In the short term, those roads will provide local access when crews temporarily close Highway Drive/Davis Avenue at Ruthrauff Road to construct the Ruthrauff Road bridge. In the long term, the roads will provide an easy connection between Ruthrauff Road and Highway Drive/Davis Avenue.

Once that bridge is complete and the interchange opens in late 2021, drivers can cross over the railroad tracks without having to stop for the train.

Remember that ADOT is maintaining access to local businesses through the entire project. For updates and traffic alerts on the project, please visit azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

“Historians write the history, but balladeers bring it to life.”

So says Dolan Ellis, Arizona’s official state balladeer, who has spent more than 60 years bringing Arizona to life through song.

Ellis performed a few numbers and answered questions about his musical career during a visit late last year to ADOT, including a tribute we've already shared to the I-17 Mystery Tree, which he calls "Scrubby." At right is a video with another of his songs, "I-10 Highway," which Ellis wrote in the 1970s.

“The road between Tucson and Phoenix, it was paved, but it was very, very narrow, and it went through all these little towns like Chandler, which was a tiny white spot on the road, and Coolidge, and all these places,” Ellis says as he sets up the song, which includes these verses:

“Arizona I-10 Highway, there’s a trucker going my way, play a tune in the afternoon with a guitar that I carry on my back.”

“I can see the sign to Tucson, from the freeway that I ride on, telling me all the sights to see down in Tucson, that are long gone with each puff from a diesel stack.”

“As I pass the irrigation roads (and) crops some Pima farmer grows, folks flipping by like the pages of a worn-out history book.

And the story that it seems to tell the pride of his work in a job done well and the cooperation of a reservation full of neighbors and the labors of his people (that it took).”  

There’s also a verse about Picacho Peak and its history as the site of an 1862 clash between Union and Confederate forces that was the westermost battle of the Civil War.

Ellis isn’t an Arizona native but a transplant from Kansas, where he grew up on a small farm south of Lawrence. He became determined to make Arizona his home when at the age of 6 he saw pictures in National Geographic magazine.

“I was fascinated about the plants, cowboys, Indians and mining,” he said.

He made his Arizona dream come true in 1959 after graduating from college, driving across the state line with his wife by his side.

His first job was in communications at KOOL-TV, which is now KSAZ-TV. He brought his guitar, and during down time, like right after news broadcasts, he would sing and play in the empty Studio B.

His hard work and talent led to coffee house gigs around and beyond Arizona, and he became an original member of the New Christy Minstrels, the legendary folk group.

In 1966, Ellis became Arizona's first official state balladeer, a designation proffered by Governor Sam Goddard.

You can learn more about Ellis, his performance schedule, history and songs at DolanEllis.com. You can also learn about the Arizona Folklore Preserve in Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains, which Ellis founded to preserve songs celebrating Arizona’s western heritage and culture, at ArizonaFolklore.com.