Planning

It’s almost time for the next public hearing on ADOT’s tentative Five-Year Construction Program …

ADOT’s tentative Five-Year Construction Program is now online and available for your review and comments ...

Short of a time machine, travel demand models might just be the next best thing for taking a glimpse at the future of our transportation system. So, what is a travel demand model?

ADOT’s Long-Range Transportation Plan was formally adopted earlier this month. ADOT planners will now use the Long-Range Transportation Plan as a guide to build a transportation system designed to carry Arizona into the future! But just who is this group – otherwise known as the State Transportation Board – that adopted the plan?

You’d be amazed by how much there is to learn just by counting cars (yes, cars…not cards!)… Traffic counts are exactly what the name implies – physical counts of the traffic on a particular road – and ADOT takes them at approximately 1,400 locations around Arizona.

Smooth takeoffs and easy landings require airport runways that are maintained and cared for … because no pilot (or passenger) wants to hit a pothole on the taxiway. But, keeping an airport’s pavement in good condition takes some vigilance – extreme temperatures, wear from heavy loads and age can all take their toll on pavement. Smaller, publicly owned airports in the state might not have the budget, or the manpower, to handle needed repairs.

Much has changed since ADOT got its start in 1927. Back then, the agency was known as the Arizona State Highway Department and roads certainly were built a little differently. Methods, materials and technology have changed so much since then.

Our communication team moved offices recently, and when I walked into our new building this morning, this is what I saw… Having no idea what this wall of giant blue tubes was, I decided to do a little poking around and share what I could find out here on the blog.

Last week we gave a brief overview of how ADOT plans for future transportation needs through a three-phased approach. We covered the Visioning phase (if money was no object, how would we plan for Arizona’s transportation future) and the Planning phase (given that resources are limited, how should we prioritize the needs identified in the Vision).

Ever try to figure out how ADOT decided to put a freeway where it did? Or why some roads have wider shoulders than others? Well, none of it happened by accident. ADOT, like most transportation agencies, takes a three-phased approach to transportation decision making: Vision, Planning and Programming.