PHOENIX – Since the record-setting winter of 2022-2023, the Arizona Department of Transportation has completed 24 projects to repair damaged pavement on more than 300 miles of state highway.

These projects, made possible by a commitment of $90.5 million, have ended for this year but will continue when warm weather returns in 2024. Much of the work completed to date has been in northern Arizona, where snow, rain and repeated freeze-thaw cycles combined with the effects of pavement aging to create ideal conditions for potholes and other surface damage.

Early next year, pavement repair projects are planned for:

• Interstate 10 southeast of Casa Grande, between mileposts 200-209
• Business 10 in Willcox between mileposts 337-344

In the spring, projects are planned:

• US 93 northwest of Kingman between mileposts 59-70
• US 93 south of I-40 from mileposts 95-97
• US 93 northwest of Wickenburg from mileposts 174-176

This year, ADOT completed critical pavement repair projects on sections of I-40, I-17, I-10, US 60, US 93, State Route 260, SR 87, and SR 77. A list of completed and planned projects is available at azdot.gov/PavingRepairs.

These pavement repairs vary in size and complexity based on conditions, in some cases replacing small areas of damaged pavement on segments spread across several miles of a roadway. Long stretches of the top 2 inches of surface pavement were replaced in other areas, including 20 miles of SR 260 between Rim Road near Forest Lakes and Heber. 

To learn more about this effort, please visit azdot.gov/PavingRepairs.

PHOENIX – Both directions of Interstate 40 will be reduced to one lane between Seligman and Ash Fork during daylight hours Monday to Thursday starting Thursday, Aug. 3, and ending Thursday, Aug. 17, as an Arizona Department of Transportation project removes and replaces surface pavement. 

The lane restrictions, a 55 mph speed limit and a width restriction of 14.5 feet will be in place from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday between mileposts 123 and 146. 

ADOT has committed $90.5 million to pavement repair projects, most of them in northern Arizona, after the record-setting winter. Governor Hobbs and the state Legislature also have allocated $54 million for additional pavement improvement projects in rural Arizona. A website at azdot.gov/PavingRepairs details these Statewide Critical Pavement Repair Projects.

Meanwhile, another ADOT project will reduce westbound I-40 to one lane from milepost 108 to milepost 86, between Seligman and US 93, from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting Tuesday, Aug. 8, and ending Thursday, Aug. 11. Crews will be applying a sealant to extend the life of the pavement. The speed limit will be reduced to 55 mph in the work zone and there will be a width restriction of 14 feet. 

Motorists should slow down in work zones and give workers plenty of space.

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.

TUCSON – The Arizona Department of Transportation is set to begin the final phase of a project repaving 10 miles of State Route 77 between Tucson and Oro Valley. On Sunday night, May 14, crews will begin replacing about 3 miles of worn pavement between Ina Road and the Rillito River Bridge just south of River Road. 

As has been the case with most major work on the $34 million project, the paving will occur overnight to minimize restrictions and delays.

As the project continues through July, motorists can expect work to take place between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday nights, with the exception of the Memorial Day and the Fourth of July holiday weekends. 

Crews will begin with southbound SR 77 at Ina Road and move south and one lane at a time. Once they reach the Rillito River Bridge, work will begin on the northbound lanes. Motorists should expect an uneven driving surface and lowered speed limits. 

One lane will remain open in each direction at all times. However, eastbound and westbound traffic will be detoured as crews work at the intersections of Ina, Orange Grove, Rudasill and River roads.

The project also has improved safety and traffic flow SR 77 between Interstate 10 and Miracle Mile, as well as on Oracle Road between Miracle Mile and Calle Concordia: The improvements include:

• Reconstructing and repave the roadway from River Road to Calle Concordia
• Adding dual left turn lanes to the intersection of Magee and Oracle roads
• Adding LED street lights between River and Ina roads
• Constructing ADA-approved ramps, sidewalks and driveways between River and Magee roads to improve pedestrian safety
• Installing a storm drain system from River to Orange Grove roads
• Reconstructing driveways, sidewalks and sidewalk ramps between I-10/Miracle Mile and River Road
• Improving signals and intersections between River and Ina roads
• Improving roadway drainage
• Relocating utilities

Throughout the project, ADOT has maintained access to the roughly 1,100 businesses in the corridor.

For more information about the project, please visit azdot.gov/SR77.

HOLBROOK – The Arizona Department of Transportation will continue two improvement projects on Interstate 40 from Joseph City through Holbrook (mileposts 278-290) starting Monday, April 24.

Crews will be working on the bridge decks at the Tanner Wash Bridge and the Geronimo Road overpass, as part of a pavement improvement project along I-40 from Joseph City to Perkins Valley Road. 

For more information, visit the project webpage.

Additionally, crews will be striping the highway and installing traffic counters from Perkins Valley Road through Holbrook. For more information, please visit the project webpage.

Both projects are expected to be completed by early May.

Restrictions will be lifted each day after hours and on weekends. At least one lane of traffic will be open in each direction during paving operations. 

Drivers should allow extra travel time and be prepared to slow down, stay alert and merge safely when approaching and traveling through the work zones. 

PRESCOTT VALLEY  – The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a project this spring to replace three miles of pavement on State Route 69 in Prescott Valley.

The $4 million project will involve replacing the top layer of pavement between Truwood and Stoneridge drives, from mileposts 287-290. The work will include updating sidewalk ramps and replacing damaged sidewalk segments.

Work is scheduled to begin Wednesday, April 19, and continue through fall 2023.

To reduce the impact to drivers, all work will take place overnight between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday evenings through Friday mornings. At least one lane of traffic will be open in each direction during paving operations. Also, ADOT will maintain access to all businesses in the area. 

For more information, please visit the project page.

The abundance of rain and snow this winter and early spring, which in many ways is welcome news following years of drought, has created ideal conditions for worn pavement and potholes. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation maintains more than 6,800 miles of state highways. This wet and icy winter season, including this week’s storms, created conditions that keep highway crews very busy keeping up with potholes, particularly in areas with snow. 

While this work continues, you can help by slowing down on highways affected by storm-related potholes, something that’s already a good idea given wet and icy conditions many highways are seeing. Reducing speed and staying alert can help you see and avoid some potholes. You can report pavement issues to azdot.gov > Contact ADOT. 

Pavement damage including potholes can pop up quickly when moisture seeps into and below asphalt. Add the pounding that highways take from traffic, and parts of the pavement can break away. This challenge is especially acute in Arizona’s higher elevations, where pavement is subjected to more freeze-thaw cycles than most of the rest of the country.

ADOT crews regularly examine state highways for potholes and address them as quickly as possible, making short-term patches followed by longer-term repairs. They also respond when motorists report potholes and other pavement damage, focusing on the most serious problems first. 

When storms create potholes, highway workers make initial temporary repairs as soon as possible with various patching materials that are placed in the damaged area and tamped down.

More permanent repairs come after the pavement has had time to dry out. That work involves the use of a milling machine to remove a section of pavement around the pothole. A sticky oil is sprayed into the milled area being fixed before the patch is placed on top. Crews finish the repair by using a heavy compaction roller to smooth out the pavement.