I’m familiar with the 75th Avenue interchange along Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) in the northwest Valley. No, not because I live in the area. I have a friend who did and he always roped me into hauling off junk because I owned a pickup truck. He doesn’t do that anymore, but that’s another story.

It does let me set the stage for telling those of you with an interest in the Loop 101/75th Avenue interchange that on Wednesday, Feb. 10, ADOT will be hosting an online virtual public meeting about future changes at that location.

If you have interest and want to participate, the information is below. 

Changes won’t happen overnight. ADOT is in the study phase of preparing for a Loop 101 widening project between 75th Avenue and I-17, which currently is anticipated to start in 2025 when funding is available through the Phoenix area’s Regional Transportation Plan.

ADOT’s work to study three alternatives for changes to improve traffic movement at Loop 101 and 75th Avenue is related to the future freeway widening project. Options include creating a third southbound 75th Avenue left-turn lane for entering the eastbound Loop 101 on-ramp. The added traffic capacity would be designed to improve traffic flow.

Here’s how you can take part in the virtual Loop 101/75th Avenue public meeting on Feb. 10:

• Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 6 to 7 p.m.
• Join via a computer or smartphone with the link https://tinyurl.com/ADOT75AveTI. The meeting number/access code is 146 217 7610. The password is: ADOT2021
• Join via telephone by calling 602.666.0783 and using meeting number/access code 146 217 7610

ADOT’s project team will present an overview of the project followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions or provide comments. 

Information about the three alternatives being considered can be found online at the project website at azdot.gov/75thAveInterchange. Design options include changes affecting 75th Avenue, the eastbound Loop 101 off- and on-ramps at 75th Avenue, eastbound off-ramp at 67th Avenue and possibly the eastbound frontage road east of 75th Avenue.

If you can’t attend, the Feb. 10 meeting will be recorded and posted on the project website, which includes information about how to provide additional comments through Wednesday, Feb. 24. An online survey of the interchange options is also available at surveymonkey.com/r/75thAveInterchange.  

The project is being done in partnership with the Maricopa Association of Governments, the cities of Glendale and Peoria as well as the Federal Highway Administration.

And please, don’t ask me to haul stuff to the landfill. Thanks.

If 50 years of "Star Trek" has taught us anything, it's that virtual communication is the wave of the future. Kirk, Spock, Picard, Janeway and all the rest are constantly using viewscreens, communicators and holograms to connect with people who might be worlds away. 

While we may still be a long ways away from teleporters and starships, during the current public health situation we are looking toward technology to continue offering training and services.

Road projects have continued to move forward during this time, which means ADOT had make sure the public could have plenty of input. As we told you about recently, with traditional public meetings a non-starter we used a virtual town hall format for some projects, such as the future improvements to the Interstate 40 and US 93 interchange. People were able to use their communicators – known in this century as cellphones – to call in and listen to the presentation. The meeting was also broadcast via two radio stations. The number of comments we received from this meeting rivaled those of a tradition in-person open house.

When it came to continuing our offerings to help small or economically disadvantaged businesses seeking federally assisted contracts, those too are now being done virtually. These businesses can now receive counseling or take advantage of other tools, such as our 21-week Business Development Program, completely online.

Back in April, ADOT's Border Liaison Unit launched a webinar for Mexican truckers to discuss emergency restrictions and exemptions for commercial vehicles using the state's ports of entry. This proved so successful that future webinars are planned that will incorporate material from the in-person safety training the unit has been doing since 2016.

This month we also held another session of our popular Construction Academy to help women, veterans, minorities and other disadvantage groups get the necessary training to get into a career in construction. The majority of particpants were able to receive the necessary classroom training through video conferencing and online construction. 

And the best part is that these virtual tools have proven popular and useful enough to help our communication and training efforts live long and prosper even after the need to socially distance ends.

The technology we are using may not be as cool as what you'd find on the bridge of the Enterprise, but it's still allowing us to boldy go forward in our continuing mission to better communicate and serve the drivers of Arizona.

Despite the current public health situation, highway improvements continue. And since public involvement is a crucial part of a highway project’s schedule, ADOT needed to get creative to keep the public engaged.

And that brings us to ADOT’s first project-level virtual public hearing on Thursday, May 28, for the I-40/US 93 traffic interchange project in west Kingman. This virtual public hearing will be a call-in event where the public can call in to listen to a presentation on the current status of the project and give their input and feedback.

The virtual hearing will also be broadcast live on local radio stations in the Kingman and Bullhead City area for those who just want to listen in.

Virtual meetings, which allow ADOT to gather public input and answer questions like it would at an in-person public meeting, are planned for upcoming construction projects in Tucson and Prescott Valley. 

It’s important to find ways to hold these hearings and keep the public involved so project schedules don’t get behind. Temporary solutions like virtual public hearings and meetings are creative solutions to keep the public involved and projects on schedule during a time where we can’t meet together.

The public comment period is also open right now until Saturday, June 6. People can offer their comments online, through email, phone or mail. Every comment received gets recorded in the environmental record.

For more information on how to participate, please visit azdot.gov/WestKingmanTIP.

Those who drive Arizona’s highway system know it best – and you’re pretty good about telling us when you see something that needs improving or needs to be repaired.

Starting today, the Arizona Department of Transportation is asking everyone to take a look at our 2021-2025 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program and send us your thoughts and comments.

The plan is part of the proposed annual update to ADOT’s lineup of all statewide projects. The 2021-2025 Tentative Five-Year Program allocates funding for preservation, modernization and expansion projects.

The complete report, along with an online comment form, can be found at azdot.gov/tentative5year. You can also email [email protected] or call 855.712.8530 with your comments.

We want to hear from you! You’ve got until June 2 to send us your comments. The State Transportation Board will make its final decision on June 19 about what will be in the updated Five-Year Program.

Much of the 2021-2025 Tentative Five-Year Program focuses on the preservation needs for our state highway system. The program proposes an average of approximately $310 million per year for preservation of bridges and roadways statewide. This moves ADOT even closer to its goal of allocating $320 million per year for system preservation.

Preervation projects include repaving highways, filling potholes, extending the life cycle of existing pavement, and repairing or reconstructing bridges. Approximately 67 percent of all funding allocated to Greater Arizona will be directed to preservation projects from FY 2021 to FY 2025.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

There’s no such thing as oversharing or TMI when it comes to ADOT wanting to hear your opinions and feedback.

The public comment period begins today for the Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program for 2017-2021. The program, detailing how ADOT intends to invest in future transportation projects, has three sections: highways, regional transportation plans and airport improvements.

ADOT recommends speeding up the following projects because of additional funding through the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant.

• Two Interstate 10 widening projects in Pinal County (State Route 87 to Picacho Peak and Earley Road to Interstate 8).
• Two widening projects along US 93 and the State Route 347 railroad overpass project in the city of Maricopa. The SR 347 project received a $15 million TIGER grant and a $15 million local contribution to add to ADOT’s $19 million commitment.

Public Hearings

In addition to a public hearing held today in Oro Valley, here are other events:

April 15, 2016 at 9 a.m.: Public hearing and board meeting in the ADOT Administration Building Auditorium, 206 S. 17th Ave., Phoenix.

May 20, 2016 at 9 a.m.: Public hearing and board meeting in the City of Flagstaff Council Chambers, 211 W. Aspen Ave., Flagstaff.

June 17, 2016 at 9 a.m.: Board meeting in the City of Holbrook Council Chambers, 465 First Ave, Holbrook.

If you follow us on social media or check out our website from time to time, you’ve probably noticed that ADOT hosts a lot of public meetings.

From the annual hearings for the Five-Year Construction Program to the monthly State Transportation Board meetings and everything in between, we’re constantly out there talking and listening about future plans and current projects. Public input really does help shape ADOT’s projects.

We aren’t able to review every single type of meeting in this blog post (there are just too many), but we do want to give you an overview of some of the project-related meetings regularly held throughout the state. Hopefully, by the time you’re done reading this, we’ll have convinced you that you should attend the next one…

Let’s start with corridor study/scoping meetings.

These take place when ADOT is planning for a future transportation corridor. Generally, at this point in the planning process, a large area is being evaluated and no specific route has been identified. Typically, these meetings are held far ahead (sometimes decades) of any construction.

The next set of public meetings is usually held during the pre-design phase. This is when planners are looking at a more targeted, defined area. They’re also looking at environmental concerns at this stage. We’re not just talking trees and birds – ADOT also considers any socioeconomic factors that may impact the area.

It might be a good time for us to point out that all projects are subject to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. We’re not detailing that aspect today, but if you’d like more information on environmental clearances, check out our post from earlier this year.

Finally, we’ve got to tell you about public meetings during the actual construction phase. These will happen if there’s a big impact on an area. ADOT’s Community Relations team will also make presentations and answer questions at various community meetings (HOA, city council, etc.) during this time.

Now that you know all that, maybe you’re still wondering why you should attend.

Senior Community Relations Officer Megan Griego says that meetings give residents a chance to learn information and find out about any potential project impacts. They also give people the opportunity to share their opinions with ADOT.

“The community’s input can really impact the project’s outcome,” she says. “People who live in the community understand how these routes work and they’re able to share valuable information with ADOT.”

What to expect

No two projects or public meetings are exactly the same. Most project-related public meetings will include a project overview, along with details on the current status and future plans.

If you do attend, you’ll hear from a variety of technical experts, engineers, planners and community relations officers.

Maps are usually a given at these meetings, but depending on the project ADOT might be able to provide advanced tools that help the public understand more about the project, including drive-simulations and roundabout “how-to” videos.

After the meeting

All comments collected at the meetings (and through email, mail or the ADOT website) are forwarded on to ADOT’s technical team. That team will research and write replies for all the questions. ADOT either responds in an official document related to the project or posts the answers on the project webpage.

We really are listening

Comments from the public really do make an impact. Remember the San Pedro River Bridge replacement project? Before work got started, residents took part in several ADOT public meetings where different construction alternatives were discussed. The public weighed in and ADOT went with an option that allowed SR 90 to stay open for the duration of the project – something that was important to residents.

How to find out about meetings

Public meetings are often advertised in local newspapers. ADOT will sometimes use radio and television ads to get the word out, too. ADOT sends postcards or fliers to residents near the project area. Social media, email, news releases are all utilized as well. ADOT also works with municipalities to make residents aware.

You’re urged to sign up for updates through our website to ensure you get all the project news for your area.

Now the big question is: Will we see you at our next public meeting? We hope so!