The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a third round of pavement replacement work on the State Route 77/Oracle Road improvement project starting the week of Sunday, July 24, with plans to resurface one mile of the highway in the coming weeks.

The paving will take place between Ina and Magee roads. As with most work on the project, crews will pave the roadway in the overnight hours to minimize restrictions and delays. Work is scheduled Sundays through Thursdays between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The paving will take place one lane at a time, with crews starting on turn lanes before working on travel lanes.

During the overnight work, motorists can expect large vehicles and equipment on the roadway to remove the existing pavement and then install new asphalt. Motorists should also expect uneven pavement and reduced speed limits. One lane of travel will remain open during pavement operations.

The new pavement is one of many improvements planned as part of a two-year, $34 million project to improve 10 miles of the highway between Interstate 10 and Oracle Road, as well as on Oracle Road from Miracle Mile to Calle Concordia.

Crews have already completed a little more than half the total pavement work on the project. By late 2021, crews completed paving on the Miracle Mile stretch of SR 77 between I-10 and Oracle Road, along with Oracle Road from Miracle Mile to the Rillito River bridge just south of River Road. Also, work crews have paved 1.5 miles at the northern limit of the project between Calle Concordia and Magee Road.

More recently, crews have been working on the area between Magee and River Roads. Unlike the areas paved in 2021, this segment of roadway includes multiple improvements in addition to new pavement. Those improvements include:

Signal and intersection improvements between River and Ina roads

Constructing new ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks and driveways between River and Magee roads

Adding a new dual left-turn lane from northbound Oracle to westbound Magee Road 

Installing a storm drain between River and Orange Grove roads

While most paving work is being done overnight to minimize traffic delays, drivers should expect some daytime lane restrictions and delays through the project. During all times, ADOT will maintain access to the roughly 1,100 businesses in the corridor.

For more information about the project, please visit azdot.gov/SR77.

Following several years of study, technical analysis and input from communities and stakeholders, the Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a final 20.47 mile corridor through Pima County. The Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD), which was released Friday, Nov. 5, identifies the selected corridor, which stretches between Interstates 19 and 10, south of the Tucson International Airport in Pima County. 

A continuous, access-controlled transportation corridor between I-19 and I-10 would:

• Improve access to future activity centers
• Improve regional mobility
• Improve connectivity
• Integrate the region’s transportation network
• Address existing and future population and economic growth
• Provide an alternative to avoid congestion on I-10 and I-19 

The combined Tier 1 Final EIS/ROD, along with its supporting documentation, is available on the study’s website at azdot.gov/sonorancorridor. In addition, hard copies of the combined Tier 1 Final EIS/ROD document are also available for viewing at the following locations during normal business hours: 

Southcentral District Office - 1221 S. 2nd St. Tucson. Please call to make an appointment. Phone: 520.388.4200

Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Tucson, AZ 85701 520.594.5500

Joyner-Green Valley Library, 601 N. La Canada Dr. Green Valley. Phone:  520.594.5295

Sahuarita Town Clerk’s Office, 375 W. Sahuarita Center Way. Phone: 520.822-8801

Subsequent Tier 2 environmental and engineering studies would need to be conducted as part of the NEPA process to further refine the selected 1,500-foot Sonoran Corridor to identify a recommended 400-foot freeway alignment and identify planned interchange locations and other project elements. 

The Final Tier 1 EIS includes a phased implementation plan with preliminary recommendations for how the Sonoran Corridor could move forward into Tier 2 studies. The phased implementation plan includes smaller segments of the selected corridor alternative that may advance as separate, independent projects. These studies, which are not yet funded, would include additional analysis and more opportunities for public review and comment.

For more information about the Sonoran Corridor Study or to view the project fact sheet, please visit  azdot.gov/sonorancorridor

General comments or questions about the study can be submitted to ADOT through the following methods:

Online: azdot.gov/sonorancorridor

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 1.855.712.8530

Mail: c/o ADOT Communications – Sonoran Corridor, 1221 S. 2nd Ave. Tucson, AZ 85713

Arizona Department of Transportation volunteers answered the call to participate on National CleanUp Day, Sept. 18, by removing more than 150 bags, or 2,053 pounds of trash from alongside Arizona’s highways. 

Forty groups from all corners of the state: Page, Yuma, Concho, Vernon, Show Low, Prescott, Chino Valley, Congress, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Tucson, Bouse, Claypool, Sahuarita and Bullhead City, registered with ADOT for the event on the Adopt a Highway website. 

Adopt a Highway Program Manager Mary Currie said, “It’s a win for communities and the state of Arizona. One-day permits offer volunteers a way to explore one type of volunteer work among many, and to be a part of the litter solution. They get first hand experience on the process for adopting and how to conduct a litter cleanup safely. Our experience has been that some of these groups decide to complete the adoption for two-years and become regular caregivers of their segment”. 

More than half of the groups registering for the cleanup were new volunteers interested in participating for one day rather than a two-year adoption.

Every day Adopt a Highway program volunteers are giving back to Arizona somewhere in the state. ADOT strives to make it safe and as easy as possible for them to continue volunteering.  

These individual volunteers made a positive impact for drivers on the state highway system by removing all types of litter, including: cigarette butts, plastic bags and bottles, aluminum cans, and other unsightly trash. Car bumpers and refrigerator doors were also found along the way. A very dangerous type of trash for travelers.

Michele Michelson and her group of eight volunteers opted for a one-day permit to help clean up SR 89A in Prescott Valley. “We are all very proud to be here in this beautiful sunshine to keep the county, the town and our state clean. I saw ADOT’s post on facebook and registered. Here we are and we’ll do it again. Who doesn’t want to keep their community clean. Thank you ADOT for offering this opportunity.”

In return for a two-year permit and a sign recognizing their group’s segment, Adopt a Highway volunteers agree to:

Adopt a minimum of two miles of state highway

Always wear Federal Highway Administration required ANSI Class II Safety vests

Read a safety brief and watch a safety video before each cleanup

Contact ADOT before cleaning up their sections

File an activity report after each cleanup, telling ADOT how many bags of litter was collected

Clean their sections at least once and preferably three or more times per year

Motorists can support Adopt a Highway volunteers by slowing down where people are picking up litter and always driving with extra caution and care. 

To learn more about ADOT’s Adopt a Highway volunteer program, please visit azdot.gov/adoptahighway.

TUCSON - In an unprecedented push to remove roadside garbage and debris, 42 Arizona Department of Transportation employees from southern Arizona were recently able to pick up 11,000 pounds of trash and bulk items.

ADOT personnel from Casa Grande, Coolidge, Nogales, Oracle, Three Points, Tucson, and St. David cleaned up a stretch of Interstate 10 from Rita Rd. to Kino Blvd.; a distance of about 11 miles. This portion of the highway is a hot spot for roadside garbage and debris and the cleanup required approximately half of the available ADOT South Central District maintenance staff. 

“We did this because of an overwhelming amount of roadside garbage and debris on ADOT right-of-way,” said Highway Operations Supervisor Fernando Murrietta. “The problem isn’t just how much litter there is, but how it gets there. People throw trash from their vehicle and it’s ADOT crews who live and work in southern Arizona who pick it up. We are part of the solution because we’re cleaning up other peoples’ messes.  Things would be much better if people would be more respectful of the environment.”

Maintenance personnel are available to perform cleanup duties as part of their ongoing work, but their primary responsibility is safety-related work such as guardrail repair, pavement maintenance, right-of-way fence repair to keep livestock off roadways and other similar jobs. 

In addition to ADOT employees, trash cleanups are conducted by volunteer groups as well as state prison inmate crews. Inmate crews have not been available due to COVID-19 restrictions in prison complexes, but are now beginning to return to roadside duties. 

For more information about the ADOT Adopt a Highway program: azdot.gov

Late Thursday, motorists began using the new bridges that carry traffic over I-10 and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Drivers should expect ongoing temporary lane restrictions as crews continue work on the reestablished connection across I-10.

The ramps connecting I-10 to Ruthrauff Road and El Camino del Cerro remain closed and are expected to open in the next several months. Later this summer, westbound I-10 traffic will shift from its temporary configuration to the newly reconstructed westbound lanes.

The $129 million project also means drivers will no longer have to wait for trains to pass along the east side of I-10. With Ruthrauff/El Camino del Cerro now traveling above I-10, traffic can move through the area more smoothly and safely.

When the project is completed late fall, drivers will benefit from other improvements that include:

Expanding I-10 from three to four lanes in each direction.

Widening Ruthrauff/El Camino del Cerro to two lanes in each direction crossing I-10.

Reconstructing the ramps and frontage roads so all traffic flows above the railroad tracks.

Constructing an underpass to carry Davis Avenue/Highway Drive under Ruthrauff Road, with traffic using local roads and Maryvale Avenue to connect with Ruthrauff Road.

Drivers should expect occasional lane restrictions in the next several months, including when I-10 lanes are shifted to their permanent configuration.

The project is part of the Regional Transportation Authority’s roadway improvement plan, managed by the Pima Association of Governments. It is ADOT’s fourth recent major I-10 traffic interchange project in Pima County that allows drivers to cross I-10 without waiting for trains, following similar projects at Prince Road, Twin Peaks and Ina Road.

For more information, go to azdot.gov/RuthrauffTI.

The first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation has been named one of the “Infrastructure Gamechangers” by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

The detection system, which was completed by ADOT on a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson in 2020, is among only four highway-related projects recognized nationally this year by the ASCE. The organization recognizes groundbreaking projects that represent the latest advancements in the way engineers plan, build and adapt to infrastructure needs. 

In announcing the national “Gamechangers,” ASCE President Jean-Louis Briaud said, “With resources stretched thin, finding solutions that can make the most of the tools afforded us can driver safety, variable speed corridor, be a challenge, but is an essential component of improving the built environment. ADOT’s dust-monitoring system will keep drivers safe and I-10 drivers moving efficiently. This project highlights the innovative nature of civil engineers, adapting to unique challenges to ensure our systems better serve the public.”

ADOT State Engineer Dallas Hammit added, “This recognition by our engineering peers is gratifying because it acknowledges the tremendous innovation and creativity that has gone into developing a system that will greatly enhance safety for drivers travelling through what can sometimes be a very challenging environment.”

Driving on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson during summer monsoon months can be hazardous when windblown dust reduces visibility, causing dangerous driving conditions. This technology has created an unprecedented innovation that helps increase driver safety. 

“Safety is our first priority and this first-of-its-kind technology answers a real need to make a very busy portion of highway much safer for motorists. It has already proven its effectiveness in recent dust storm events,” said Brent Cain, the director of ADOT’s Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division “Being chosen as an ASCE Gamechanger is a great honor.”

Drivers passing through the detection and warning zone encounter signs saying “Caution: Variable Speed Limit Corridor.” Soon after, a series of programmable speed limit signs every 1,000 feet can change the legal speed limit from 75 mph to as low as 35 mph. Additional variable speed limit signs are placed every 2 miles.

Overhead electronic message boards in and near the corridor alert drivers to blowing dust and warn them to slow down. Speed feedback signs inform drivers of their actual speeds.

Thirteen visibility sensors mounted on posts along the freeway use light beams to determine the density of dust particles in the air. Once visibility drops to certain levels, the system activates overhead message boards and the variable speed limit signs.

The sensors are complemented by a weather radar on a 20-foot tower at I-10 and State Route 87. It can detect storms more than 40 miles away, providing additional warning of incoming storms to ADOT and forecasters at the National Weather Service.

This technology is monitored by ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix, where staff can see real-time information on conditions such as the speed and flow of traffic. Closed-circuit cameras provide visual confirmation of conditions along the roadway and in the distance.

For additional information on dust storms and safety: www.pullasidestayalive.org