The first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation has been named one of the “Infrastructure Gamechangers” by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The detection system, which was completed by ADOT on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson in 2020, is among only four highway-related projects recognized nationally this year by the ASCE. The organization recognizes groundbreaking projects that represent the latest advancements in the way engineers plan, build and adapt to infrastructure needs. 

In announcing the national “Gamechangers,” ASCE President Jean-Louis Briaud said, “With resources stretched thin, finding solutions that can make the most of the tools afforded us can driver safety, variable speed corridor, be a challenge, but is an essential component of improving the built environment. ADOT’s dust-monitoring system will keep drivers safe and I-10 drivers moving efficiently. This project highlights the innovative nature of civil engineers, adapting to unique challenges to ensure our systems better serve the public.”

ADOT State Engineer Dallas Hammit added, “This recognition by our engineering peers is gratifying because it acknowledges the tremendous innovation and creativity that has gone into developing a system that will greatly enhance safety for drivers travelling through what can sometimes be a very challenging environment.”

Driving on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson during summer monsoon months can be hazardous when windblown dust reduces visibility, causing dangerous driving conditions. This technology has created an unprecedented innovation that helps increase driver safety. 

“Safety is our first priority and this first-of-its-kind technology answers a real need to make a very busy portion of highway much safer for motorists. It has already proven its effectiveness in recent dust storm events,” said Brent Cain, the director of ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division “Being chosen as an ASCE Gamechanger is a great honor.”

Drivers passing through the detection and warning zone encounter signs saying “Caution: Variable Speed Limit Corridor.” Soon after, a series of programmable speed limit signs every 1,000 feet can change the legal speed limit from 75 mph to as low as 35 mph. Additional variable speed limit signs are placed every 2 miles.

Overhead electronic message boards in and near the corridor alert drivers to blowing dust and warn them to slow down. Speed feedback signs inform drivers of their actual speeds.

Thirteen visibility sensors mounted on posts along the freeway use light beams to determine the density of dust particles in the air. Once visibility drops to certain levels, the system activates overhead message boards and the variable speed limit signs.

The sensors are complemented by a weather radar on a 20-foot tower at I-10 and State Route 87. It can detect storms more than 40 miles away, providing additional warning of incoming storms to ADOT and forecasters at the National Weather Service.

This technology is monitored by ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix, where staff can see real-time information on conditions such as the speed and flow of traffic. Closed-circuit cameras provide visual confirmation of conditions along the roadway and in the distance.

For additional information on dust storms and safety: www.pullasidestayalive.org

PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey today announced $230 million in new transportation infrastructure investments that will enhance highway safety and meet the demand of new residents moving to Arizona. 

“Despite the pandemic, Arizona’s economy is strong and families and businesses continue to relocate here in record numbers,” said Governor Ducey. “Now is the right time to use our state and federal dollars to make investments that create jobs, modernize our infrastructure, and improve highway safety."

The funding comes from transportation dollars, including higher than anticipated revenue amid Arizona’s strong economic recovery, and federal COVID-relief funds.

The projects include: 

• $33 million to rebuild and widen the Gila River Bridge on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson, paving the way for a full expansion of I-10 between the two cities; 
• $41 million to widen U.S. Route 93 north of Wickenburg; 
• $40 million to add capacity to Interstate 17 north of metro Phoenix; and 
• $117 million to improve more than 600 highway lane-miles across the state. 

The funding plan is in partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and follows formal action last week by ADOT’s Priority Planning Advisory Committee. The proposal now will go before the State Transportation Board for consideration at its Feb. 19 meeting.

The I-10 Gila River Bridge is the first step in completing the widening of a key commerce corridor between Phoenix and Tucson. The project will rebuild and widen the I-10 bridge to three lanes in each direction over the Gila River and open opportunities to further widen I-10 in both directions. That project will start construction in 2022.

Road improvements will address rough conditions on more than 600 lane-miles of highways around the state, with nearly 400 of those lane-miles located in rural counties. These 19 projects are expected to be complete in 2022 and will reduce long-term maintenance costs and enhance safety.

“This funding plan outlined by Governor Ducey and ADOT prioritizes Arizona’s most immediate transportation needs and opens opportunities for future expansion,” said State Transportation Board Chairman Steve Stratton, who represents Pinal, Gila, and Graham counties. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members to put this plan to work.” 

The projects will be funded with $150.3 million of COVID-19 relief monies allocated to the state and $80 million in state transportation funds, including revenue that exceeded earlier revenue projections. As part of the plan, Maricopa County and Pima County regions will receive $31.3 million for transportation investments through the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act.

“ADOT is an agency focused on getting everyone Safely Home. That’s not just something we say; it’s our true north as a department,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “These projects—enhancing mobility on I-10 and creating lasting improvements to some of our highways statewide—underscore that commitment to the public and meeting their needs. These projects will support continued economic growth and are designed to address some of our most pressing transportation needs.”

Arizona’s population grew by nearly 120,700 people from July 2018 to July 2019, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates released in December 2019. 

Funding from the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Act is part of a $900 billion stimulus plan approved by Congress in 2020.

PHOENIX - The Arizona Department of Transportation has been honored by the Arizona Transportation Partnering Excellence Award Committee for excellence shown in a number of infrastructure and other projects statewide in 2020. 

These awards recognize transportation partnership teams that show a high degree of achievement by using partnering principles and processes related to the transportation industry.

Partnering is a formal process of collaborative teamwork to achieve measurable results through agreements and productive working relationships. The formal process includes a team charter, mission, goals and guidelines. An issue resolution process is developed along with action plans, evaluation methods, meeting follow-up and reporting.

ADOT is being recognized for the following: 

Roadway under $5 million: 

• Fann Contracting, ADOT, Stantec Consulting Services for reconstructing the access road system of the Grand Canyon National Park Airport.

Roadway $5 million to $25 million: 

• Fann Contracting, ADOT for SR 64 Pipeline Road to Air Park Project
• Fann Contracting, ADOT for US 93 Eleventh Street - Windy Point
• FNF Construction, ADOT, City of Flagstaff for I-40 Fourth Street Underpass & Butler Ave TI Overpass
• Sunland Asphalt & Construction, City of Chandler, Ritoch-Powell & Associates, Kimley-Horn, MakPro Services, Roadway Electric, LLC for Queen Creek Road Improvements

Roadway over $25 million:

• Coffman Specialties, Federal Highway Administration, Union Pacific Railroad, ADOT for I-10 SR 87 to Town of Picacho
• Pulice Construction, ADOT, AECOM for 101 Price Freeway Improvement Project

Other transportation infrastructure under $5 million:

• Fann Contracting, ADOT for I-40 Haviland Rest Area Truck Parking Expansion

The Arizona Transportation Partnering Excellence Awards are sponsored by Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona Chapter Associated General Contractors of America, Arizona Public Works Association, American Council of Engineering Companies, Associated Minority Contractors of Arizona, Arizona Transportation Builders Association, Federal Highway Administration and Maricopa County Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – A transportation agency cannot stop hazardous dust storms from blowing across highways, but in 2020 the Arizona Department of Transportation pioneered a first-ever in the nation detection and warning system that now provides quick and reliable information to help motorists slow down for safety during storms.

ADOT’s dust detection and warning system on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 near Eloy began operating in June - just in time for the start of the monsoon season - after years of planning an innovative safety project in a desert region where dust storms pose a threat to drivers all year.

One of the innovative approaches project engineers took was to build a system from existing, reliable technologies - then developing a software-intensive application to tie multiple devices into a seamless and automated system.

From a motorists’ perspective, the system is remarkably simple. When sensors see a drop in visibility enough to affect driver safety, variable speed limit signs reduce the posted speed limit from the usual 75 mph to as low as 35 mph. Also, overhead message boards urge drivers to slow down because of reduced visibility.

Behind the scenes, multiple technologies work together: 13 visibility sensors, a weather radar, sensors embedded in the pavement to provide real-time information on the speed and flow of traffic, overhead message boards, speed feedback signs, closed-circuit cameras and overhead message boards. The system operates automatically while being monitored at ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix.

The system was activated six times since June, during an unusually calm monsoon season. Drivers did reduce their speed every time the system was activated, according to information the system gathered during each activation.

The roughly $6.5 million system was funded in part by a federal FASTLANE grant. As a pilot project, the system will advance ADOT’s knowledge of whether similar technologies would be effective along other Arizona highways. The project won a regional award for operations excellence in the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards competition, sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Automobile Association.

PHOENIX – Motorists who use the Interstate 10/Houghton Road interchange in Tucson should expect overnight delays for about two weeks starting Monday, Dec. 14, as crews place girders for the new Houghton Road bridge.

During the work, I-10 traffic will be routed up and over the entrance and exit ramps while crews place the girders above one direction of the highway at a time. The 26 concrete girders, which are 120 feet long and weigh 55 tons each, are lifted off truck beds and hoisted into place with a crane.

Motorists should plan for delays during the work, which is scheduled between 9:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. each night. The work will require rerouting one direction of Interstate 10 at a time. Houghton Road will remain open, with delays of about 15 minutes near the ramps.

During the work, drivers should consider alternate routes that include Rita Road and Colossal Cave/Wentworth Road.

The work is part of a $24.4 million project to replace the two-lane Houghton Road bridge with a new diverging diamond interchange that features a six-lane bridge across I-10. The project began in August and is expected to be completed in late 2021.

Motorists should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment. Law enforcement will direct traffic through the intersection during work. 

For more information, please visit azdot.gov/i10Houghton.