Yes, the Loop 101 widening project in the north Valley was finished in time for this year’s edition of the Waste Management Phoenix Open. And, yes, the improved freeway will help a lot of golf fans get to the area of the TPC Scottsdale course in less time. But if you’re heading to the tourney this week, you’ll want to give serious consideration to shuttling to the event.

We’re using our “pitching wedge” at ADOT to help the Phoenix Open organizers and our partners at the City of Scottsdale get the word out about alternative parking plans for spectators.

Experience tells us that with an event as popular as the Phoenix Open, crowded conditions and delays can be expected at times for general parking near the TPC. That’s why this year there is a shuttle lot in place at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s just a “straight drive” south of the TPC near Loop 101 and Talking Stick Way.

Parking also is available at WestWorld of Scottsdale, off the Loop 101 frontage road at Bell Road north of Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. WestWorld also is the location for a Rideshare lot. Before you head toward the Greatest Show on Grass, check on parking through the Phoenix Open’s website.

It is great to know that ADOT and its project team last month wrapped up major improvements on the $185 million Loop 101 project that added a fourth regular travel lane in each direction between Interstate 17 and Pima Road/Princess Drive in the north Valley.

In addition to the increased traffic capacity helping drivers get from Point A to Point B in less time, the big project also involved improvements and the realigning of on- and off-ramps at the interchanges within the project’s boundaries. 

As the Phoenix Open takes place this week, allowing some extra travel time should remain par for the course (sorry, couldn’t resist). And, if you’re not going to the event, consider adjusting your travel schedule and/or using alternate routes. That’s advice from a little “birdie.”

On March 4, Governor Doug Ducey and others gathered in Nogales to break ground for a project improving State Route 189, the 3.75-mile state highway connecting the Mariposa Port of Entry and Interstate 19. This is a big deal not just for Nogales and Santa Cruz County but for all of Arizona and beyond, as SR 189 carries a large share of the winter produce consumed in the United States and plays a big role in the state economy. 

The Mariposa Port of Entry saw about $24.1 billion in imports and exports in 2018, and up to 1,800 commercial trucks a day use SR 189 during winter months.

The video at right allows you to experience the excitement of the groundbreaking ceremony and learn more about the $134 million in improvements coming to SR 189, known locally as Mariposa Road. These include flyover ramps connecting with the interstate that will eliminate the need for commercial trucks to stop as many as three times between I-19 and the international border.

With the flyover ramps connecting with SR 189 west of Frank Reed Road, the improvements will enhance safety for students of nearby Nogales High School. The project also includes a new roundabout at Target Range Road and improved drainage and traffic signals. 

Construction is expected to begin in April and take about 18 months to complete. You can learn more about SR 189 improvements and their value to Arizona's economy at azdot.gov/SR189. 

Editor's note: Due to the coranavirus, Major League Baseball announced that all spring training games have been suspended.

Heads up, sports fans, it's that time of year: spring training!

That means ballgames, pop flies, home runs, hot dogs, "peanuts 'n' Cracker Jacks," tons of fun and, don't forget, traffic on Valley freeways.

Whether you are rooting for the Giants, Rockies or Diamondbacks, whether your favorite team is in Surprise, Mesa, Goodyear or Phoenix, you can expect plenty of your fellow fans to be going the same place. And with road projects increasing as the weather gets warmer, traffic to and from spring-training games could be heavy.

With that in mind, here are some tips to make sure everyone makes it back to their own home plate without headaches:

• Just as you would watch for that runner trying to steal second, always be vigilant behind the wheel.
• Buckle up; no one wants to be put on the disabled list should the unfortunate happen.
• Speeding and aggressive driving are more than just unsportsmanlike conduct. They are big factors in deadly crashes in Arizona, according to the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
• Be prepared to slow down if your route takes you through a construction zone;
• Check travel times, traffic conditions and road issues either on az511.gov or our AZ 511 app to ensure you make it to the game before the first pitch.
• And while baseball fans can differ on the designated hitter rule, we can all agree on designating a driver if you plan on consuming alcohol.

If you do get in a crash on the way to or from a game, remember to practice Quick Clearance and get off the road as soon as safely as you can. 

Most people want to be safe drivers (at least I hope that’s the case) but unfortunately, crashes occur much too frequently.

While I often use this column to focus on ways to avoid a crash, today, I want to talk about how to safely react after a minor, non-injury collision.

In short, if you're in a non-injury fender bender, move your vehicle out of travel lanes…

Many people believe a big misconception that it’s best to stay put once you’ve experienced a freeway fender bender. But in reality, you should practice Quick Clearance.

Quick Clearance is when drivers involved in minor crashes that don’t result in injuries get vehicles out of travel lanes as soon as it’s safe to do so.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the likelihood of a secondary crash increases by 2.8 percent for each minute the primary incident continues to be a hazard.

Moving your vehicle to the emergency shoulder, median or exiting the highway provides a safer environment for first responders and keeps travel lanes clear for other vehicles, reducing the chance of a secondary collision.

So, remember: if you are involved in a non-injury crash, and your vehicle can be moved, you should drive it out of the travel lanes then call for help.

No one wants to be involved in a crash, but knowing how to safely react if you are involved in a non-injury crash can help protect you and others.

For those of us looking forward to new lanes being added to Interstate 17 in the Anthem and Black Canyon City region, this week was another important one as ADOT prepares to start construction in less than two years.

The Federal Highway Administration provided great news that Arizona will receive a $90 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant to help fund the big project that will improve I-17 between Anthem Way and Sunset Point Rest Area.

The photo above shows ADOT Director John Halikowski at right, in Washington for a ceremony led by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, who is in the center. 

The $90 million INFRA grant for Arizona was the second-largest among more than $855 million in such grants provided by the Federal Highway Administration. It followed a $125 million grant awarded to Alabama for construction of a new bridge over the Mobile River channel.

The federal grant will help fund the construction of a flex lanes system between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point (more on the flex lanes below) and add third lanes in both directions along 15 miles of I-17 between Anthem Way and Black Canyon City.

This is the latest positive news about available funding for the I-17 improvements north of Phoenix. The budget approved by the state Legislature and signed by Governor Doug Ducey included an investment of $130 million in state funds to allow full construction of the third lanes between Anthem Way and Black Canyon City as part of the larger project.

And here’s a little more information about the I-17 flex lanes, in case you’re not familiar with them. They will be built as a separate two-lane facility next to the existing southbound lanes along the 8 miles between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point. These new lanes will be used to carry one direction of traffic at any one time depending on traffic needs.

For example, northbound traffic will have access to the flex lanes on a Friday or southbound traffic will be able to use the new lanes on a Sunday when a lot of drivers are returning to the Valley. This system also could provide lanes in either direction if an incident were to close the regular I-17 lanes in the area between Black Canyon City and Sunset Point.

Safety is ADOT’s top priority when it comes to the flex lanes. Yes, there will be movable gates at each end to control access. Barrier wall also will separate the flex lanes from the adjacent regular southbound I-17 lanes.

Available funding for the I-17 improvement project will allow construction to start by 2021 and be completed by 2023.

Where were you on March 20, 1973?

If you happened to be driving I-17 near McDowell Road on that date, you might spot yourself in this photo.

Taken just one month after President Richard Nixon was inaugurated for a second term, this picture gives us a good look at how I-17 has changed in the past 41 years…

If you drive that same stretch today, you’ll notice that we have more lanes than we did back then – a couple in each direction. You also will see that we no longer use those “button” pavement reflectors. Instead, ADOT uses reflective striping and pavement markers to create lane lines.

Examining this picture (which does indicate a bit of heavy traffic for those motorists heading north) makes us wonder where the drivers of 1973 got their travel info.

Of course they didn’t have ADOT’s Twitter feed or Facebook page to keep them informed and there wasn’t an az511.gov yet. Those drivers certainly didn’t have the Weekend Freeway Travel Advisory emailed to them each week because email wasn’t really a thing yet.

Here in 2014, we invite you to take advantage of the traffic-avoiding opportunities those 1973 drivers didn’t have. If you’d like to learn a little more about the history of I-17, please revisit this blog post from last year.

It’s safe to say things have changed since 1912 when the Arizona Highway Department was first established. But you don’t just have to take our word … we’ve got plenty of pictures to prove it. We combed through our archives and decided to periodically post these photos from the past in a blog series we’re calling, “From the ADOT Archives.”