After the Bush Fire was contained and put out, ADOT began to do its evaluation of the damage. In addition to more than 11 miles of guardrail and right-of-way fence damage along SR 87 and SR 188, south of Payson, the land itself was damaged with a lot of the vegetation burned up as fuel for the fire. 

This left the area more susceptible to flooding in the event of monsoon storms. 

Realizing this possibility, ADOT reached out to the National Weather Service and began to develop an emergency action plan that could help cut response times in the event of flooding in the area. 

The plan, which helps fulfill ADOT’s initiatives in the Pathfinder Program with the Federal Highway Administration, will go into effect when a monsoon storm approaches the area just south of Payson. The National Weather Service will contact ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center to advise them of the potential for rain in the area. The TOC will then dispatch maintenance crews to pre-stage equipment such as loaders, skid-steers and backhoes as well as other equipment like barriers and portable message boards.

This emergency plan was put into action in late July when a mudslide occurred on SR 188. Crews were able to respond quickly and close the road. The heavy equipment they rolled out was able to clear the road of mud. See the photos of our crews working to clear the highway.

The Pathfinder Program came about through FHWA’s Every Day Counts innovation recognition program. It’s designed to keep travelers informed and improve safety, mobility and the movement of goods during storms that impact highways, through enhanced collaboration between FHWA, the National Weather Service, state DOTs and other stakeholders.

You can find more information on the program by going to highways.dot.gov and searching Pathfinder.

The entertainment industry has its annual awards that showcase “the best of” in movies and TV shows. The transportation industry is no different as we have annual awards programs that recognize transportation projects that are making a difference in communities across the country. I am pleased to announce the Arizona Department of Transportation recently received three regional awards in the 2020 America’s Transportation Awards competition.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AAA, America’s Transportation Awards showcases transportation projects delivered by state departments of transportation and tells the story of the importance of transportation to our communities. With 79 projects nominated nationwide in three categories, the competition was fierce.

Under the category “Best Use of Technology and Innovation – Large Project,” ADOT won for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project. As our first public-private freeway project in ADOT’s history and the state’s largest single highway project at $2 billion total, the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project is the final leg of the loop transportation system in the metropolitan Phoenix area that connects the West Valley to the East Valley. Using the P3 method, we built the freeway as a single project and saved nearly $100 million. We are already witnessing the economic development opportunities in the area and reduction in commute times for drivers.

Under the category “Quality of Life/Community Development – Small Project,” ADOT tied for first place with the State Route 347 at Union Pacific Railroad project. We built a six-lane divided overpass with raised medians and sidewalks to carry traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians over the railroad track in the City of Maricopa. Now, the community doesn’t have to wait for trains to pass by on its main north-south corridor. The City of Maricopa is reaping the benefits of the project with shortened emergency response times and construction has begun on several commercial projects. Most importantly, drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists can safely travel on this major corridor without delay due to train traffic.

Under the category “Operations Excellence – Medium Project,” ADOT tied for first place again with the I-10/SR 87 Improvement Project with Dust Detection System. This project added a travel lane in each direction on a four-mile stretch of Interstate 10. We also built a modern interchange at SR 87 with two lanes in each direction plus turn lanes and traffic signals over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. But, the cornerstone of the project is the installation of a first-in-its-kind dust detection and warning system. Blinding dust storms in the area between Tucson and Phoenix have been a safety concern to us for years. The dust detection system is helping us improve safety for the traveling public.

As a regional winner, our projects will be considered for the next phase of the nationwide competition, making it into the “Top 12” list. These 12 projects compete for the two top prizes – the Grand Prize, chosen by an independent panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award which is determined by the public through online voting this fall.

I applaud the men and women at ADOT who design, build and maintain a transportation system that ensures we meet our True North, Safely Home. And thank you as well to the many stakeholders involved in these award-winning projects. Receiving the recognition by our peers in transportation makes me very proud and validates the outstanding work we do for the people of Arizona.

We didn't have to search too far back to find this interesting shot of a bridge in the process of being built.

Drivers who travel between the Phoenix area and Payson may have no difficulty recognizing this as the State Route 87, known as the Beeline Highway. The photo comes from 1998 in the middle of a project to upgrade SR 87 to four-lane divided highway. The bridge that would eventually support the highway is being built using segemented construction. Basically, the bridge is built bit by bit with cast-in-place concrete segments that are added on using a specialized casting machine. That's the big white rigging you see there.

You'll notice, however, that there is a second machine in background on the other side of the bridge being built. The same work is happening on that end in what is known as cantilevering. Basically, segements are being added out from the supporting pier on both sides either simultaneously or in alternating turns to keep the entire structure in balance. Eventually all segements are connected and you have one, long bridge to drive across. In this case, the photo appears to be of the Screwtail Bridge, just south of Sunflower, which wound up being an impressive 1,080 feet, spanning a 105-foot-deep canyon. 

This innovative method was needed because the terrain between Phoenix and Payson is pretty rugged, as reflected in some of the curves and grades of the road's original alignment. By building bridges this way, ADOT was able to straighten and flatten the roadway a bit while also widening it and making sure to steer clear of sensitive riparian areas and wildlife corridors. 

This won't come as a big shock to anyone, but state highways see a lot of travel on the weekends. And if it's a holiday weekend, you can expect to be heading out of town with potentially thousands of your best friends.

As the folks who watch over those state highways you take to get to the high country, can we offer a few words of wisdom?

• First and foremost, planning and preparation are everything. Make sure your car - battery, coolant, tirest, etc. - is in tip-top shape. No one wants to be broken down on the side of the road for Independence Day.
• Expect the unexpected. Keep extra water, healthy snacks, a first aid kit, jumper cables and other emergency supplies in your vehicle just in case.
• Plan your route ahead of time. And before taking off, check current traffic conditions at az511.gov. You can also download the az511 mobile app and our ADOT Alerts app to receive notifications en route.
• Buckle up and obey the speed limit.
• NEVER drive impaired. Designate a driver.
• This may have been your plan anyway, but please remember to observe social distance during the current public health situation.
• You can find more tips to make sure you are ready to enjoy the long weekend on our Road Trip Safety Page.

One last thing to consider as you prepare to head out. As we told you about earlier this week, you should expect longer-than-usual delays on State Route 87 just south of State Route 188. The Bush Fire caused millions of dollars worth of guardrail and right-of-way fence damage along 13 miles of the highway, meaning the right lane is closed along that stretch until repairs can be finished. If you heading toward Payson, the White Mountains or the Mogollon Rim might wish to consider alternate routes, such as Interstate 17 to State Route 260, or US 60 through Globe and Show Low. 

Today's photo should look familiar to anyone who has driven north of Payson on State Route 87.

About 20 minutes past Payson, you reach the forest communities of Pine and Strawberry. And then, just on the far side of Strawberry, the road begins to make its way up the side of the Mogollon Rim.

As part of that climb, the highway takes a tight bend to follow the contour of the Rim. This photo shows the highway markings and rumble strips put on the road to warn vehicles to slow down as they approach this curve. The photo is undated (though the car in the background is pretty good context), but it gives us the chance to talk about this scenic stretch of State Route 87.

Much has been written about the building of Beeline Highway, which made a straighter, faster route between the Valley and Payson – our own history of state transportation devotes a whole section to it – but there is a good deal less information out there about the road going north from there.

Here's what we do know. A 1927 state map shows a road, though definitely not a state highway, heading between Roosevelt and Payson, with an even less developed road heading north of Pine to Winslow. State Route 87 had made it to Payson and Strawberry by 1959, and a 1961 map of the state shows an "improved road" – graded and maintained with a top layer of gravel, but not yet paved – heading north from Strawberry. This road did become paved between Clints Well and Winslow (closer to the latter) and was dubbed State Route 65. By 1968, State Route 87 had replaced State Route 65 and ran the entire length of its current route between Picacho in the south and Second Mesa on the Hopi Reservation in the north. 

And that's the route you can take today if you want to see some impressive views of both the Rim and the Coconino and Tonto national forests. Just please remember to slow down at the curve.

Chances are if you don't work in highway construction you haven't spent that much time thinking about what goes into pouring a concrete deck for new bridges.

But if you've ever been curious at all, our video team recently put together this look at everything that goes into creating a new bridge deck, using footage mostly shot during recent work on an expanded Interstate 10 bridge over Jimmie Kerr Boulevard in Casa Grande.

Tidbits included in this video include the temperature that concrete needs to be kept at before being poured and exactly how much concrete can go into such a large project. There's a lot of logistics and planning that goes into these sorts of projects, so take a few moments to see what exactly goes into this type of work.

This project, which will expand I-10 to three lanes in each direction between Early Road and Interstate 8 in Casa Grande, along with similar work near Eloy, is expected to wrap up later this summer.