By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

Travel Arizona’s highways this week and you’ll see this message on overhead signs:

We hope “Move Over” rings familiar. If not, let’s refresh your memory:

• “Move Over” is a state law that requires motorists to move over one lane – or slow down if it is not safe to change lanes – when approaching any vehicle with flashing lights pulled to the side of a road or highway.
• That includes first responder vehicles such as tow trucks, fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers, as well as utility trucks and even passenger vehicles that have emergency flashers blinking. Click the graphic at right for this information.

Lives can be saved when vehicles “Move Over.” In June near Benson, a tow truck operator was killed when a vehicle struck him as he assisted a stranded motorist on the shoulder of Interstate 10.

Tragically, that’s not uncommon, as being a first responder to vehicle crashes and disabled motorists is dangerous work. Nationally, one tow truck operator is killed every six days. On average, about 23 highway workers and one law enforcement officer are killed every month and five fire fighters are killed every year in the United States.

Remember, when you see flashing lights on, give ’em space and “Move Over.”

By Dustin Krugel / ADOT Communications

The Arizona Department of Transportation has transplanted thousands of saguaro cactuses during construction projects. Through decades of practice, the agency has developed many successful techniques for salvaging these iconic cactuses.

Last week, I shadowed a five-man crew, working on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project to learn more about this process. In less than two hours, a team of landscapers dug up and moved a 10-foot-tall saguaro near Pecos Road to its home for the next three years: a nursery that will hold salvaged plants until they are replanted prior to the freeway opening by the end of 2019.

The plant salvage process started months ago when landscapers investigated the health of native plants in the freeway's path. In the case of cactuses, those that were good candidates for relocation were tagged. Cactuses that weren't deemed healthy or were growing in rock or other conditions that make them unlikely to survive transplantation aren't being moved.

With the aid of a large backhoe and several shovels, the crews I shadowed carefully dug up the saguaro, exposing the roots. While this was occurring, one crew member sprayed the ground with water to keep dust down. A truck equipped with a boom lift and cradle secured the saguaro in an upright position. Padding in the cradle ensures that the cactus isn't scraped and scarred during the move.

The truck boom then lowered the saguaro into its temporary home.

Workers then dug up a hole and placed the saguaro facing the same direction as it was before and at the same depth as its former home. ADOT has learned that planting a saguaro too deep can affect its survivability. At the base of the roots, the crew added sulfur and sand to help the saguaro take root. Finally, they compacted the ground around the saguaro.

In the next three years, landscapers will monitor the saguaro and spacing between the ribs, making sure it has enough water. When the freeway is nearly complete, the saguaro will be planted within the freeway footprint and will add to the scenery for decades to come.

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications

Even transportation officials need to be prepared for the unthinkable: a scenario involving someone with a gun.

That's why ADOT recently helped colleagues from across the country participate in what law enforcement refers to as an active-shooter drill.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the Transportation Security Administration offered this training at the Northwest Fire District in Tucson. As the video above shows, participants saw and heard what such an incident at a community meeting might be like, including the law enforcement response.

Leaders of this training had three suggestions for anyone caught in a situation involving an active shooter:

1. Run: If you can get out of the room or out of the building, run to safety.
2. Hide: If you can’t get clear safely, find a place to hide.
3. Fight: If escape or concealment are impossible, grab a book, a table leg, a chair – anything to use as a weapon.

It’s advice ADOT and law enforcement hope you never have to use.

By Dallas Hammit / ADOT Deputy Director for Transportation

This month’s Driving Safety Home message was going to focus solely on Pull Aside, Stay Alive, ADOT’s annual safety campaign that coincides with the start of summer’s monsoon season. But then, recently, within the span of just a few days, two people working on state highways were hit and killed by vehicles.

On the morning of June 13, a passenger car struck and killed an employee of a contractor working on an ADOT project as he was removing barricades from Loop 101 Pima Freeway in Scottsdale. Earlier in the month, a box truck hit and killed a tow company driver responding to a stalled vehicle on Interstate 10 near Benson.

These tragedies show us all just how important it is for drivers to limit distractions and pay attention on the road.

I still want to provide details on dust storm safety, but first I am going to remind you of Arizona’s “Move Over” law. It requires motorists to move over one lane – or slow down if it is not safe to change lanes – when driving by ANY vehicle with flashing lights pulled to the side of the roadway.

ADOT has hundreds of employees working on maintenance and construction projects all over the state and, as you can imagine, the “Move Over” law is very important to us here at ADOT. I hope you’ll always remember to move over when it is safe to do so because it could help save a life. I also encourage you to share the message with your friends and family. Many of them might not know that the law was expanded in 2011 to cover, not only authorized emergency vehicles, but ANY stationary vehicle, including tow trucks, cars belonging to stranded motorists and ADOT vehicles.

As for work zone safety, there’s quite a bit of information on our website for you to review and share. Most importantly, I ask that you remember to expect the unexpected – speed limits may be reduced and people may be working in the road. It’s crucial for drivers to slow down, keep a safe distance from the vehicle ahead and pay attention.

Now, on to dust storm safety ...

As in previous years, we’re warning all motorists that they should NEVER drive into a dust storm. However, we also want to make sure you know that even smaller dust channels can be just as dangerous as those 3,000-foot haboobs we’ve seen before. The smaller storms are often fast moving and can whip up dust alongside highways without warning, meaning drivers often don’t have a chance to avoid them.

Please visit PullAsideStayAlive.org where you’ll find safe-driving tips and additional information. You should also know that ADOT employs a number of tools, including overhead highway signs, the 511 travel information line and social media to provide motorists with the latest conditions. Please check Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) and az511.gov BEFORE you get on the road. And, again, please be sure to share this information with your loved ones so they can travel safe.

EDITOR'S NOTE: More safety messages from Dallas Hammit, ADOT's state engineer, are available at Driving Safety Home on azdot.gov.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

What weighs up to 5,000 pounds, is more than 100 years old and can be more than a little prickly about moving?

Give up?

It’s one of the hundreds of saguaros in temporary quarters next to the Loop 101 Pima Freeway project.

As portions of the project wrap up, crews have been working to move more than 1,000 saguaros, along with native trees, to new locations.

Transplanting the massive desert plants isn’t an easy task. The video above explains what goes into maneuvering these thorny giants.

By Gant Wegner / ADOT Communications

With the summer travel season underway, more of us will be driving around Arizona to enjoy the state’s beauty and recreational opportunities. That means potentially driving on unfamiliar roads and encountering a different style of traffic intersection called a roundabout.

A modern roundabout is a circular intersection without traffic signals. It is designed to reduce crashes and improve the flow of traffic.

You will find roundabouts in many places around Arizona, including the Interstate 17/Happy Valley Road interchange in north Phoenix, the connection between Interstate 17 and State Route 89A south of Flagstaff, in the popular tourist corridor of Oak Creek and Sedona, on US 89 in Page and US 95 in San Luis, and on the north side of Payson along State Route 260.

Roundabouts work best when motorists follow a few rules and drive with care. For example, you should slow down to the posted speed limit, and signal your turn when entering and exiting a roundabout so other drivers know your next move.

You can learn about why we build them, and if you’re still looking for more, you can visit the roundabout page on our website.

And check out the video below for tips on using roundabouts.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Thanks to the city of Surprise for sharing this awe-inspiring drone footage of progress on the overpass and interchange ADOT is building at US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road. This project will increase safety and reduce congestion by allowing drivers to travel over US 60 and the BNSF Railway tracks and connect with US 60 via new ramps.

Those viewing the site over the next week will see:

• Columns rising on both sides of Grand Avenue. The holes drilled for these columns are 66 feet deep, by the way.
• A distinctive agave pattern on finished columns after concrete is poured into forms.
• Final installation of drainage pipes that are 54 inches in diameter.

To speed construction and have Bell Road reopened by November, a section of Bell is closed.

Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications

Across the country, departments of transportation are in the midst of marking – “celebrating” doesn’t feel like the right word – National Work Zone Awareness Week.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is no different. Safety is our top priority – for our workers and the public – and this week gives us the opportunity to feature some tips to make work zones along Arizona’s highways safer for everyone, especially you.

First, we’re incredibly grateful to the work performed by our construction and maintenance crews in the field. These men and women expose themselves to risk every day in an effort to maintain and improve the traveling public’s driving experience. Just check out this close call ADOT’s video team happened to catch on camera:

The video shows that work zones can be a perilous place for workers, but did you know they are far more dangerous for motorists? Nationally, drivers and passengers account for about 80 percent of all work zone-related crash fatalities each year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In Arizona, there were 1,209 work-zone crashes in 2014 that resulted in 11 deaths – all of whom were a driver or passenger.

Follow these tips when traveling through a work zone, to ensure a safe trip for motorists and a safe day of work for highway maintenance workers.

• Pay attention: Observe and obey posted warning signs, as well as flaggers. You can be cited for disobeying a flagger’s directions.
• Expect the unexpected: Speed limits might be lowered, travel lanes could be narrowed or eliminated and people may be working near the road.
• Slow down: Speeding is one of the leading causes of work zone crashes.
• Merge safely: Do it early instead of racing to the beginning of the work zone and barging into a line of vehicles.
• Don’t tailgate: The most common crash in a work zone is the rear-end collision. Don’t follow too closely and, again, slow your speed.

By Steve Elliott / ADOT Communications

We hope you've seen our announcement and previous blog post about a major project that will relieve congestion at Grand Avenue (US 60) and Bell Road in Surprise. A $41.9 million, state-of-the-art traffic interchange is on the way to carry Bell Road over Grand Avenue and BNSF Railway tracks.

While we've shared a rendering of what's coming, the animation above provides an aerial and on-the-ground view of what this interchange will provide motorists on Bell Road as well as Grand Avenue.

Bell Road is closed at Grand Avenue for six to eight months to allow for faster construction. There's a detour route for Bell Road travelers and continued access to businesses next to the project area.

Something great is coming in time for the holiday shopping season. Please check out the animation and share it with friends.

By Kim Katchur / ADOT Communications

Hard as it may be to believe given the record temperatures we've had recently, this is still a season for snow in Arizona. Because of that, ADOT has snowplow drivers at the ready, including drivers of our new TowPlow.

Back in February, TowPlow inventor Bob Lannert came to the North-Central District to train our drivers. And as you’ll see in the video above, Mother Nature provided the drivers – and our video crew – a significant snowstorm that same weekend, making the experience even more valuable.

As we shared last month, the TowPlow is a steerable trailer with a 26-foot blade that’s attached to the back of a regular snowplow truck. The combination, able to plow a 24-foot-wide path, lets ADOT clear more lanes in less time using less fuel.

The TowPlow joins ADOT’s fleet of 200 traditional snowplows and is assigned to 20 miles of I-40 between Williams and Bellemont west of Flagstaff.

TowPlow drivers, as with those operating any ADOT snowplow, need cooperation from other motorists. That includes staying at least four car lengths behind snowplows, slowing down and being patient.

Get more driving tips and find useful information over on our “Know Snow” Web page. You can also check out our previous blog posts and videos for even more about how ADOT prepares for the snowy season.