Milling

First pavement repair projects underway, more starting soon

First pavement repair projects underway, more starting soon

First pavement repair projects underway, more starting soon

June 7, 2023

ADOT completing $50.5 million in projects to start, with more planned

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has started the first of 23 projects to repair damaged pavement following the record-setting winter, kicking off improvements that will continue through summer.

ADOT has created a website at azdot.gov/PavingRepairs with a schedule and map of the initial round of $50.5 million in improvements, as well as information on $94 million in planned additional pavement repairs. This includes $54 million elected leaders have committed to for pavement repairs in rural areas as part of next year’s state budget beginning July 1, as well as $40 million proposed in ADOT’s five-year construction program, to be considered by the State Transportation Board on June 16.

Most of the 23 projects getting underway this summer are in northern Arizona, where this winter’s snow, rain and freeze-thaw cycles created ideal conditions for potholes and other pavement damage.

Crews have begun removing and replacing surface pavement along a 10-mile section of US 60 east of Wickenburg. Another project beginning this week is repaving 20 miles of SR 260 between Rim Road near Forest Lakes and Heber.

The repairs entail replacing small areas of damaged pavement on segments several miles in length, depending on conditions. The pavement projects include sections of I-40, I-17, I-10, US 60, SR 260 and SR 77.

The rest of these initial projects will get underway as the summer progresses.

These projects are in addition to pavement repairs already underway in many areas, including temporary repairs made until warmer temperatures allowed for longer-term repairs.

Drivers in areas with these projects should anticipate a mix of daytime and nighttime activity and lane restrictions that could lead to delays. ADOT reminds motorists to slow down in work zones and allow plenty of space for workers.

Real-time highway conditions and project restrictions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov. ADOT also updates highway conditions via its Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT.

Overnight emergency repairs follow I-10 tanker collision

Overnight emergency repairs follow I-10 tanker collision

Overnight emergency repairs follow I-10 tanker collision

November 18, 2011

I-10 was closed most of the day and night last Wednesday after two tanker trucks collided near Chandler Boulevard south of downtown Phoenix.

For hours, many drivers could see the resulting column of black smoke. Even more people saw footage and photos of the collision’s aftermath on the news and online.

What most didn’t see was the effort it took to reopen the freeway less than 24 hours after the fatal crash, which not only snarled traffic during the morning rush hour, but also severely damaged the road.

Timeline

ADOT’s ALERT Team arrived on the scene shortly after the 8 a.m. crash. The crew worked with other agencies to close a portion of I-10, divert traffic and create a safe location for all the emergency responders.

Even once the fire was out, work to clear the wreckage couldn’t begin for several hours because of the extremely high level of fuel vapors in the air. Once the vapors dissipated (which, with very little wind, took close to four hours), two additional tankers were brought in to remove the fuel that remained in the burned tanker.

Once the Fire Department cleared the scene, the wreckage was cleared and work could begin on repairing the road’s surface.

It was determined that repaving the badly damaged area immediately was the best way to maintain a safe, drivable surface while avoiding a future closure of the heavily traveled Interstate. Late Wednesday afternoon, ADOT worked to line up the contractors and resources needed to accomplish the repair work.

“We didn’t want to leave bad pavement for tomorrow’s morning traffic to drive on,” says ALERT Commander Tom Donithan.

By about 8:00 Wednesday evening, the section of road was milled with a machine that basically pulverizes the damaged asphalt into an “almost powder,” according to Donithan in the video above.

Once the road was milled and the old asphalt was swept away, a new layer of asphalt was put down.

Not long after that, at about 2:30 a.m., striping trucks were able to re-stripe the road and westbound I-10 between Loop 202 and Chandler Boulevard reopened to traffic at approximately 4:30 a.m.

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