We’re big fans of ADOT’s maintenance crews and we appreciate all they do to keep the roads safe…

We try to document much of what their jobs entail here on the blog, but these crews are responsible for so much that it’s difficult to capture it all (we have tried, though. Read our previous posts on the maintenance team).

Today’s video does a very good job of summing up what the maintenance crews do and why it should matter to the traveling public.

“Safety is priority No. 1,” says ADOT Highway Operations Supervisor Jerry Turner in the video above. “Making sure that the public has a safe road to travel on, whether we’re repairing guardrail or picking up debris on the road.”

The video also provides a reminder of how important it is to give these crews some room if you spot them working on the side of the road (remember Move Over AZ?).

“They are working to make your world safer. Give these folks a break,” says Public Information Officer Doug Nintzel. “That means merging over a lane or making sure you’re slowing down if you see a maintenance crew at work.”

For more on ADOT’s maintenance crews, revisit the blog archives and learn about the many responsibilities of this group. And, if you want to learn more about the attenuators that were mentioned in the video, we’ve got that covered, too.

There’s a realignment and intersection improvement project in the works near Flagstaff that, when complete, will help eliminate some major backups in the area.

The improvement project is going to realign SR 89A in the vicinity of Fort Tuthill County Park and construct two roundabouts, one at the entrance of the park and the other at the I-17 southbound ramps, to provide a safer transition for traffic through the intersections.

Construction hasn’t started yet. It’s expected that the project will be advertised soon and a contractor will be on board by spring of next year.

You can see in the video why the improvements are needed. Flagstaff District Engineer Audra Merrick explains that the SR 89A/JW Powell Boulevard intersection (which, by the way is also the south entrance to the Fort Tuthill County Park) is very close to another intersection (JW Powell/I-17, which leads to the I-17 southbound ramps).

“Those intersections have a separation of 140 to 150 feet and during peak events at the park, because the park is so close, we can end up with queuing traffic on the I-17 ramps,” Merrick says.

The new roundabout intersections will include bike lanes and sidewalks. The roundabouts will be constructed about 400 feet apart and will be designed to accommodate current and future traffic demand.

What’s happening at the site right now

Before construction can begin, trees in the project area need to be thinned and ADOT is doing that now in anticipation of the project’s start next year.

ADOT is working closely with Coconino County, the city of Flagstaff and the local utility company to save as many trees as possible and will only eliminate trees that are absolutely necessary for the project. The project area will also be reseeded upon completion.

The wood from all those trees will not go to waste … it will definitely be put to good use.

“A lot of the wood from those trees is going to be re-purposed,” says Coconino County Community Services Director Janet Regner in the video above, adding that the wood will be utilized for flood control in other areas of the county. It will also go to families in need. They will get some of the wood to use in their fireplaces this winter (it is anticipated that about 150 cords of wood will be donated for families in the area).

More on the project

Traffic restrictions, such as lane closures, will be required during construction. To stay informed on any upcoming restrictions related to this project, please sign up to receive email alerts at azdot.gov.

You’ll also find more about this improvement project on the project web page.

Work is getting underway on the San Pedro River Bridge replacement project … again.

About a year ago, construction started on the first phase of this project. Work was put on hold at the end of March to avoid disrupting the migratory bird nesting season (the bridge is in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area). Before the hiatus, crews finished the eastbound side of the new bridge.

Now, work to build the westbound side of the replacement bridge has begun.

What this means for motorists

Since work has resumed, traffic in both directions on SR 90 will share the eastbound lane through the project area. A temporary traffic signal will be used during construction to guide alternating traffic through the single shared lane. Delays of eight minutes will be common around the clock until the project is complete in spring 2014. Drivers are advised to plan ahead and allow for extra travel time.

More about the San Pedro River Bridge

The San Pedro River Bridge on SR 90 is an important connection along the primary corridor between the communities of Sierra Vista, Tombstone and Bisbee.

The old bridge, constructed in 1955, is being replaced by a new structure featuring wider traffic lanes with shoulders that meet current standards and provide adequate space for vehicles, including emergency responders, bicyclists and pedestrians.

This project will increase in width of the highway bridge from the current 26 feet to 44 feet and will feature 12-foot traffic lanes in both directions and 10-foot shoulders. For even more on the project, visit the project Web page.

A new partnership between ADOT and the U.S. Army will afford job opportunities to soldiers once they’re ready to leave the service.

But that’s not all…

It’s also intended to provide ADOT with trained, highly skilled individuals, which makes the U.S. Army’s Partnership for Youth Success (PaYS) program a real win-win for everyone involved.

How it works

When someone enlists with the U.S. Army, he or she has the option to select a position with a PaYS partner employer. The positions match up with the job skills offered by the Army.

While enlisted, the soldier receives training that will allow them to potentially transition into a job with the selected PaYS partner employer.

Once the soldier completes their service obligation and returns to civilian life, they are guaranteed an interview with the PaYS partner employer they selected at the time of enlistment.

“ADOT is always looking for trained, highly skilled individuals,” says ADOT Deputy Director John Nichols in the video above. “The Army provides that for them. It starts off with ADOT helping them outline what specific career tasks and training they will need. They will work with their army counterparts to get that training.”

ADOT, now one of 440 PaYS partners across the country, is an ideal partner for this program because the agency offers several different career paths that align with training offered by the Army, including engineering, law enforcement, computer programming and accounting.

ADOT is the second Arizona state agency to subscribe to the program, joining the Department of Public Safety. Providing job opportunities is a significant way for ADOT to honor those individuals who have committed to defending the country.

Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer McAfee says the PaYS program gives soldiers a sense of stability.

“It gives them the ability to realize they have an interview waiting for them when they leave,” she says in the video. “To move into an organization such as ADOT, I think honestly it will be a smooth transition because it’s kind of doing the same things they were doing in the military.”

For more on the Army PaYS program, visit www.armypays.com.

The long-term fix for US 89 will involve cutting back the mountain slope, building a gravity buttress wall for support and constructing the new road. But before crews can begin on all that, there’s a lot that has to get done.

Environmental work is one of the first tasks at hand and, as you can see in the video above, ADOT is coordinating with a number of agencies to make sure this project will have as little impact as possible on any nearby waterways.

“We had ADOT, the Army Corps of Engineers, ADOT’s consultants and the Navajo EPA water quality folks,” says ADOT Water Quality Analyst Julia Manfredi in the video. “What we are looking for is areas that would be considered Waters of the U.S. by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, so what we have to do is identify where the Waters of the U.S. are, so that we can tell if this project is going to cause a discharge of dredge or fill material to those Waters of the U.S. and if it is going to, then we will have to permit that through the Army Corps of Engineers and also through the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency.”

By the way, Waters of the United States basically refers to any interstate waters or wetlands (you can read a good, detailed definition on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website).

In the case of the US 89 project, washes on the site that lead to the Colorado River are the focus.

401 and 404

The permits referred to in the video have to do with the Clean Water Act (specifically sections 401 and 404).

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act outlines the regulation of any dredged and fill material that gets discharged into the waters of the United States. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for 404 permitting.

Projects that require a 404 permit, must also apply for a 401 certification from a local jurisdiction (for US 89, it’s the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency). While 404 permits deal more with hydrological connections to interstate waters, a 401 certification focuses on water quality and ensure that the project plan complies with local discharge rules.

More environmental work
As we stated earlier, there’s a lot more to be done before construction can begin. So, stay tuned … we’ll keep you posted on what’s next, including archaeological and biological surveys of the site.

If you don’t know much about ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division, you’ve come to the right place…

We’re here to fill you in on this team that carries out a number of duties all aimed at keeping the roads safe.

Watch the video above to learn about ECD’s responsibilities relating to federal and state ports of entry. You’ll also get a look at the division’s mobile commercial vehicle operations and the efforts made to inspect vehicles and identify stolen vehicles.

For even more, check out some of our previous blog posts that focus on permitting.

ADOT hosted a public hearing and several community forums over the last few months to get input on the South Mountain Freeway draft Environmental Impact Statement...

If you attended one of those meetings, you know that they were a chance to learn more about the project A look at the South Mountain Freeway public meetings and give your feedback.

If you didn’t attend, but want to know what you missed out on, you’re in luck!

The video above gives a great overview of the events and shows how public input is a vital part of any ADOT project.

ADOT Assistant Communication Director Brock Barnhart explains in the video that the dialog doesn’t end after you give your feedback. All of the comments are considered before moving forward.

“The next step is to compile all the different comments and then we start responding to those comments,” Barnhart says. “From there we’d be looking to share with the public the final environmental impact statement again going through a 60-day comment period and then were looking for a record of decision from our federal partners.”

Even though the Avenue 3E Bridge widening project in Yuma isn’t the biggest ADOT undertaking in terms of budget or scope, it has made a pretty big impact.

Work wrapped up recently and included widening the bridge from two lanes to six (three in each direction), construction of a raised median and the addition of new pavement markings, signage and a pedestrian walkway.

ADOT started construction about a year ago and worked with the city of Yuma to complete the project, a majority of which was funded through a federal grant administered by ADOT.

Project’s impact

Yuma City Councilman Paul Johnson explains in the video above that this project helped the nearby Marine Corps Air Station secure a contract for the F-35 fighter jet.

“During the base selection process for the F-35, we had a big strike against us,” Johnson says. “We had bad traffic congestion and it was emphatically brought out in the environmental impact statement.”

The improved infrastructure is also likely welcomed by Yuma’s agricultural industry. An estimated 400-700 truckloads of produce cross that bridge in the winter months!

“It’s pretty obvious that if you’re going to have a good economy, quality of life and a sustainable economy, you have to have proper infrastructure,” says ADOT Director John Halikowski. “What this project does is fosters economic development, both from the military base’s perspective, but also from our agribusiness.”

Rubberized asphalt is durable, smooth and uses recycled materials that otherwise would be headed to a landfill ... what’s not to like?

ADOT is fond of the stuff for those reasons and more, which is why rubberized asphalt continues to be used on projects around the state, including the Loop 303.

What is rubberized asphalt?

Rubberized asphalt consists of regular asphalt paving mixed with “crumb rubber” (a.k.a. ground up, used tires).

The used tires are processed by separating the casings, fabric and steel. The extracted rubber then is ground to the consistency of ground coffee. Approximately 1,500 tires are used for every lane-mile of rubberized paving.

You should also know that rubberized asphalt is temperature sensitive and cannot be applied during very cold weather or very hot weather. That means rubberized asphalt can only be applied during the spring and fall in the Phoenix area.

Quiet pavement

Did we mention that rubberized asphalt pavement can reduce traffic noise levels by at least four decibels? If you’ve driven on a roadway paved with rubberized asphalt, you should be able to notice the difference.

OK ... we could go on and on about rubberized asphalt pavement, but we won’t. We’ll just direct you to the above video that gives a new look at rubberized asphalt. If you want more, head over to ADOT’s Quiet Pavement webpage.

Last week, we all got a look at the long-term fix being proposed to repair the landslide-damaged stretch of US 89 – it’ll involve cutting back the mountain slope and constructing a gravity buttress wall. The repairs, at an estimated cost of $40 million, could take more than two years to complete.

Some of you might be wondering why ADOT has put forth this particular solution and more of you may be questioning how it’s going to possibly take that long to fix.

Well, we have the answers for you today. In the video above, ADOT’s Deputy State Engineer Steve Boschen describes why it was determined that this option is the most feasible. He also talks about the schedule.

Basically, the proposed solution was chosen because, when work is complete, the slope will be stabilized and the roadway will be moved away from the most recent landslide. As for the timeline, environmental work and right-of-way acquisition are expected to take quite a bit of time.