Do you know what you were doing 25 years ago today?

Here at ADOT, we remember exactly what happened on Aug. 10, 1990 – the grand opening of the I-10 Deck Park Tunnel.

If you lived in the Phoenix area at that time, maybe you joined us for the ceremony and ribbon cutting that marked the occasion?

It was a big day. Arizona Governor Rose Mofford was there, along with senators, government officials and several hundred others.

Actually, it was more than just one big day. Before the Aug. 10 ceremony, there was a three-day “open house” that attracted more than 100,000 people to the tunnel. During that time, the public got to walk or ride through the unopened tunnel (we hear there were even fireworks!).

Later this week, we’ll share some photos from the festivities along with some earlier pictures of the tunnel’s construction. Today, as we mark the tunnel’s 25th birthday, we hope you’ll enjoy the video above…

We’d also love to hear if you have any memories from the tunnel’s early days. Did you attend the open house or grand opening? Perhaps you were in one of the first cars to drive through the tunnel? Maybe you remember what it was like to drive on I-10 before the tunnel was complete? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or right here in the blog comments!

By Doug Pacey
ADOT Office of Public Information

Twenty-five years ago, the last segment of Interstate 10 was completed and it happened in Phoenix.

When the Arizona Department of Transportation opened the “Final Mile” between Third Avenue and Third Street, including the Deck Park Tunnel, it created the nation’s second coast-to-coast interstate, stretching 2,460 miles and across eight states, from Santa Monica, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla.

“This opening of I-10 is truly a milestone in transportation history,” Thomas Lane, head of the Federal Highway Administration, said at the tunnel’s dedication ceremony on Aug. 10, 1990. “Today, we mark the completion of a major transcontinental route.”

Fast-forward to 2015, on Monday, Aug. 10, when ADOT observes the Deck Park Tunnel’s 25th birthday.

While the opening of the Deck Park Tunnel marked the completion of I-10 as a transcontinental interstate, it also signaled the beginning of the Phoenix-metro area’s modern freeway system, which continues to grow today. Putting the age of the freeway network into perspective, “The Simpsons” has been on television longer than the Deck Park Tunnel has been open to traffic.

When the tunnel opened, construction of the Loop 101 and state routes 51 and 143 had just begun, and the Loop 202, Loop 303 and State Route 24 existed only on planning maps. Phoenix’s population boom made the expansion necessary. The 20th-largest city in the United States in 1970, Phoenix would rise to No. 6 by 2000, according to U.S. Census data. The completion of the Deck Park Tunnel connected the metropolitan area’s east and west valleys, allowing for quicker and more convenient travel across the metro area. The tunnel also emerged as a linchpin in Arizona’s economic development, supporting the efficient movement of goods and commerce into and through the state. Since it opened, an estimated two billion vehicles have passed through the tunnel’s tile-lined walls.

“The Deck Park Tunnel is more than simply a way to get through downtown Phoenix,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “It is part of an interstate Key Commerce Corridor that is integral to Arizona’s continued economic growth and development.”

Decades before it was built, transportation officials recognized the need for the Papago Freeway – the stretch of I-10 that passes through Phoenix. The first plans for the freeway were formalized in 1960. However, a tunnel wasn’t included in the original design.

The tunnel was a part of a solution to opposition that did not want the Papago Freeway built near the Phoenix city center, unsettling neighborhoods established before interstates existed. In 1969, plans called for an elevated freeway with wide, arcing “helicoil” ramps that were designed to minimize disruption of city streets and the utility grid. But a public vote to build the freeway was defeated in 1973. Two years later, the elevated freeway was scrapped in favor of a below-grade design, which included the tunnel, and Phoenix voters approved the measure. Engineers devised an innovative plan that set the freeway below street level for six blocks – from Third Avenue to Third Street. Above the freeway, 19 bridges would be lined up side by side, creating a tunnel effect for motorists, even though it does not meet the Federal Highway Administration definition of a tunnel. A 30-acre park would be built atop the bridge decks. That’s how it came to be known as the “Deck Park Tunnel,” though its official name is the Papago Freeway Tunnel.

Still, the Papago wasn’t yet a “go.” Freeway opponents put the issue on the ballot again in 1979, but citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor – 3-to-1 – of building the Papago Freeway and construction began in 1983. When it was finished in 1990, the Papago Freeway ranked as the most expensive highway project to date in Arizona at a cost of $500 million, plus $150 million for right-of-way purchases.

Not surprisingly, public interest in the freeway was high as the opening neared. According to a report in The Arizona Republic, more than 100,000 people attended a three-day “open house” at the Deck Park Tunnel, riding bikes and running footraces in yet-to-be-driven-on traffic lanes. At the dedication on Aug. 10, 1990, Federal Highway Administration official Thomas O. Willett addressed the obstacles overcome in the previous three decades to build the freeway.

“Completion of the Papago Freeway is far more than construction of concrete and steel,” Willett said. “It represents a successful culmination of a state, city and federal partnership forged by the challenge of a concerned public.”

An unbelievable amount of litter gets picked up by Adopt a Highway volunteers each year.

We’re talking about several TONS of trash…

Of course we wish that litter wasn’t an issue at all, but we’re so grateful to the volunteers who give their time to help keep our highways beautiful.

“It’s important because we don’t have all the resources we need to pick up litter with paid services or our own staff,” says ADOT Roadside Maintenance Manager Mark Schalliol in the video above. “There’s a variety of reasons that people want to volunteer and get involved … they just want to do something and give back to the community “

Find additional details on our Adopt a Highway page. You can also check out our previous videos and blog posts for more information.

For most of us, learning to drive involved figuring out the rules of the road, mastering some street skills and becoming familiar with our vehicles…

It probably didn’t include lessons in blade angle, joystick control, tire tilt or moldboard pitch. But that’s the sort of stuff that ADOT heavy-equipment operators have to understand to skillfully do their job.

Education is important when it comes to operating heavy equipment, which is why ADOT has partnered with Empire Cat to get some really comprehensive instruction to improve the way our heavy-equipment operators are trained.

“Empire Cat is a worldwide company,” says State Maintenance Engineer Lonnie Hendrix. “They’ve been doing this for many years, and so, why wouldn’t we want to go to the people that do it full time.”

The instruction includes classroom time, simulator experience and hands-on equipment operation. The ADOT employees who are completing this training are actually trainers themselves, who will in turn teach this material to other ADOT heavy-equipment operators.

Besides the obvious benefits of improved training, it also helps the department to save money.

“This is definitely helping us save dollars, save equipment costs,” says ADOT Heavy Equipment Program Manager Jim Wade. “We’re learning how to save wear on tires. We’re not putting so much fuel through the equipment because now we’re operating it more efficiently.”

In the future, this training partnership is expected to cover other types of equipment, but for now it’s focused on the operation of motor graders, which you can see in action in the video above. ADOT uses this high-tech piece of equipment in a number of ways – everything from building ditches and clearing washouts to repairing dirt roads and interstate highways.

To learn more about ADOT heavy-equipment training, revisit our previous blog posts that show how operators are educated on snowplows and other heavy equipment like loaders, skid steers and dump trucks.

About a month ago, we shared some cool nighttime photos taken at the I-15 Virgin River Bridge No. 6 rehabilitation site that show off a major project milestone. Today, we’ve got an equally cool video that goes into even more detail on the concrete deck pour that had crews working through the night.

If you’ve been following this project along with us, you know that the bridge is in the far northwestern corner of Arizona and work to rehabilitate the structure began in March 2014. This significant effort includes the replacement of the bridge’s superstructure (girders, deck and railings), as well as widening the roadway through the narrow passage of the gorge.

The project is expected to be completed in 2016, but right now, the northbound side of the bridge is closed for the reconstruction project – both directions of traffic are currently traveling on southbound side, which will also be replaced once the new, wider northbound lanes are completed this summer.

OK, back to the project milestone we were talking about…

As you can see in the video above, that recent concrete deck pour not only required crews to work overnight, but also represents a pretty significant point in the project.

“The deck pour was a little over a 12-hour shift with trucks running constantly all night. There was never a single break in the work the entire night,” says Flagstaff District Resident Engineer Adam Carreon in the video. “Everything went really smooth and we’re real happy with what the finished product looks like. Pouring the concrete deck was a major milestone for us. It shows that we’re about half way through the project at this point.”

You can learn more about the project by revisiting these previous posts. You can also see more photos of the project’s progress on our Flickr page.

It’s that time of year again when we remind you to “Pull Aside, Stay Alive” if you ever encounter a dust storm...

Even if you’ve heard the message before, we hope you’ll keep listening and help us spread the word because there are plenty of young drivers and new Arizona residents who might not yet understand the real dangers of driving into a dust storm.

Know anyone who fits that description? We encourage you to educate them about dust storm safety. Of course, you can point them in our direction!

From websites and blog posts to Tweets and haikus, we have a lot to share, including today’s video, a brand new public service announcement that was created by ADOT and its partners at the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the National Weather Service.

Haboob Haiku

In addition to the video and a new radio public-education announcement, ADOT will be using social media all this week to engage Arizonans in spreading the word to “Pull Aside, Stay Alive.”

You know what that means: the “Haboob Haiku Challenge” is back for a fourth year!

You can read in detail why we #HaboobHaiku in this blog post, and you’ll see that our main focus each year is to get people talking about the dangers of driving in dust storms. By building awareness about dust storm safety, we hope more drivers will know what to do when that next dust storm hits.

But this year we’re putting a slight twist on the tradition…

Instead of asking you to focus your poems on the “Pull Aside, Stay Alive” message as we have in the past, this monsoon season we’d like for you to show off your creativity by telling us where you'll be when the dust settles with haikus about how to drive safely during dust storm events. Here’s an example:

When the dust settles

I will be safe off the road

With my seatbelt on

Don’t forget to use the #HaboobHaiku hashtag. You can Tweet your poems to us @ArizonaDOT or post them to our Facebook page. You’ll also want to remember that haiku is a type of poetry that conforms to a certain syllable structure. These poems are traditionally written in three lines – the first line consists of five syllables, the second line has seven and the third ends the poem with five.

Finally, we want to make sure you see (and share) these driving tips. They’re not just inspiration for your haikus, but important reminders for drivers who encounter a dust storm.

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm.
• If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle (front, back and to the side) and begin slowing down.
• Do not wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway – do it as soon as possible. Completely exit the highway if you can.
• Do not stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane; look for a safe place to pull completely off the paved portion of the roadway.
• Stop your vehicle in a position ensuring it is a safe distance from the main roadway and away from where other vehicles may travel.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including your emergency flashers.
• Set your emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
• Stay in the vehicle with your seatbelts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.
• Drivers of high-profile vehicles should be especially aware of changing weather conditions and travel at reduced speeds in high wind.
• A driver’s alertness and safe driving ability are always the top factors in preventing crashes. It is your responsibility to avoid distracted or impaired driving.

For more information, please visit PullAsideStayAlive.org.

It’s not all roads and bridges, here at ADOT. Sometimes the projects we take on include stabilizing the areas near a highway…

In the past, we’ve blogged about the different methods used to stabilize slopes, but today we’re taking a look at a new project that will help to stabilize and improve erosion protection along the eastern bank of Oak Creek on SR 89A, north of Sedona.

As you can see in the video above, last summer’s Slide Fire impacted the area. If no action was taken, the increased flow in Oak Creek this year could lead to rising waters that have the potential to wash out the roadway.

Crews are taking action and currently are working to protect SR 89A from further bank erosion. Existing protection measures will be fortified and other bank support improvements, including repairing and reinforcing gabions (wire baskets filled with rock), replacing concrete reinforcements, placing rock and cobble to enhance protection and upgrading guardrails within the project area, will be completed by August.

Besides the work itself, there are a many environmental issues to take into consideration on this project.

Flagstaff District Environmental Coordinator Rob Nelson explains in the video above the steps that are being taken to protect Oak Creek, along with a few protected species that live nearby.

“At ADOT, we’re here to improve roadways for the traveling public,” says Nelson. “You can find a good equilibrium between doing that and maintaining environment.”

What drivers need to know

Traffic will be reduced to one lane at the project location and flaggers will provide for alternating travel through the work zone. Drivers are urged to allow for extra time in travel (traffic delays from 5 to 15 minutes are anticipated). The hours of construction will run from the early morning to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, however no nighttime, weekend or holiday construction is anticipated.

Please visit the project page for more information.

With hundreds of blog posts in our archives, we understand if you haven’t had a chance to read them all.

However, there’s a lot of interesting content in those early posts and we don’t want you to miss out. That’s why we’re looking back and highlighting some of our favorites in a new series called, “From the Rearview Mirror.”

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Originally published on Aug. 29, 2011, the video featured in this post gives a dizzying look at a girder installation (we’ve blogged about girders a couple of times since then).

This post also refers to the reconstruction of the Mescal/J-Six Bridge, which you might remember was completed in September 2011.

Tiny camera captures bird’s eye view of girder installation

If you’ve been following along in the blog, you know that we’ve been chronicling ADOT’s reconstruction of the Mescal/J-Six bridge in southern Arizona since it was severely damaged when two semi trucks collided underneath it back in March. Completion of the fast-tracked bridge reconstruction is slated for later this month.

Here's a shot of the GoPro in action. The inset photo gives you an idea of how small the camera really is.

Last week, crews installed 35,000-50,000 pound girders and our video team wanted to explore a creative way to take you behind the scenes of what goes into placing a 25-ton piece of concrete.

To get the perfect shot, they looked to a GoPro® Hero. GoPros are tiny (1.6” x 2.4” x 1.2”, 3.3 oz) HD cameras that let photographers get some incredible shots they never would have been able to otherwise.

Conditions weren’t exactly ideal (check out our Facebook page for pictures of the tarantula and other creepy crawlers that joined their shoot and the extreme weather that loomed in the distance), but they couldn’t miss a chance to secure a GoPro to one of those massive girders! (You might want to sit down before watching this one…it may make you a little dizzy.)

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness month, a time when all motorists are reminded of how important it is to safely share the road.

It’s also a great opportunity for us to share today’s video…

As you can see, the focus is on the value of enrolling in a professional motorcycle rider training course.

By attending an approved rider training course, motorcyclists of all skill levels not only have the chance to obtain professional instruction to become a safer rider, they are also able to acquire their motorcycle endorsement easily and conveniently.

“One of the advantages of taking a driving training course for motorcycles is you take the driving test and you go through all the different maneuvers you would at MVD,” says Juanita Cason in the video above. “You also take the written test that you would do at MVD, only by taking it in class then you get a piece of paper once you pass and you just take that piece of paper down to MVD and they actually give you your driver license endorsement”

More information from the Motorcycle Training Foundation can be found online. You’ll also find the Motorcycle Operator Manual, along with a list of authorized motorcycle training providers on ADOT’s website. We also invite you to revisit some of our previous motorcycle safety blog posts.

We have some great news to share…

ADOT has been recognized for its environmental protection efforts while rebuilding the San Pedro Bridge through a sensitive conservation area on State Route 90 east of Sierra Vista! The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s annual Globe Awards this month highlighted ADOT’s work to protect the natural environment during a nearly two-year reconstruction.

You remember this project, right? We blogged about it during construction and featured some videos that highlighted many of the project aspects that were recognized with the award.

The project, which was designed to replace a bridge originally built in 1955, included the construction of a new structure featuring wider traffic lanes, emergency shoulders and greater clearance over the San Pedro River.

The bridge’s location – it sits in one of two congressionally designated national riparian conservation areas in the country – factored into the project’s progression.

While the bridge replacement began in October 2012, work halted the following April through October to avoid disrupting the migratory bird season in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.

Other environmental mitigation measures included a containment plan to prevent debris from contaminating the San Pedro, along with lead paint abatement before the old bridge was demolished. Also, the project included re-seeding vegetation and planting trees. ADOT also employed a biologist to monitor construction impacts on the river as well as the more than 200 animal species and 250 migratory bird species in the area.

The San Pedro Bridge is an important link between the communities of Sierra Vista, Tombstone and Bisbee. The $6.2 million project was completed in March 2014.

More on the award
The Globe Award recognizes transportation agencies that do an outstanding job protecting the environment in the planning, design and construction of infrastructure projects. The recognition was in the category of bridges costing less than $10 million.