Transportation Defined

When engineers suspect a slope or embankment might be moving, they can use an inclinometer to see if their hunch is correct …

Guardrails. You see them all the time, right? But, how often do you really think about the important job they’re performing?

Next time you’re traveling uphill only to get stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle or truck, you’ll appreciate the concept of a climbing lane ...

Most drivers are probably familiar with pavement markers ... Nothing new there, but did you know that the markers can vary depending on their location?

We’ve got a blog post coming up real soon that’s going to focus on Dynamic Message Signs (Don’t know what those are? Keep reading!).

This item probably looks pretty familiar to any of you photography buffs out there. It’s a roll of film – a really big roll of film. But, what does this have to do with transportation, you might ask?

What's a Lost Deck? Find out, today on the ADOT Blog.

A rebar cap is a special steel-reinforced plastic “mushroom” cap that is placed on protruding rebar at construction sites. Even though it’s small, it serves an important purpose.

These reference “posts” are set two feet off the right shoulder and are about one mile apart. Mile posts can be used to tell where you are located if you are involved in a collision, have mechanical problems, or are out of gas. If you have to stop, note the route you are on and the approximate distance from a mile post.

When you see signs directing you to tune in to a certain radio station for construction information, do you ever wonder where the signal is coming from? Chances are a nearby Highway Advisory Radio transceiver is helping to deliver the message.

There's a lot of useful information to be obtained from our roadways and loops help ADOT collect some of that data.

You've probably never gotten a good look at the Passive Acoustic Devices (PAD) out on the freeways … they're easy to miss. PADs are small objects that sit near the top of utility poles and are barely visible to drivers below, but they collect a lot of useful data.

Maybe you've noticed some of the cameras that are perched high above the roadways ... These are Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and are used by ADOT's Traffic Operations Center (TOC) to constantly monitor traffic conditions throughout the state.

Have you ever spotted something on the highway and wondered, ‘what is that and why is it there?’ If you have, the ADOT Blog is here to help you find the answer!