Work Zone

ADOT marks Work Zone Awareness Week

ADOT marks Work Zone Awareness Week

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT marks Work Zone Awareness Week

ADOT marks Work Zone Awareness Week

April 15, 2024

Work zones are temporary. Actions behind the wheel can last forever

PHOENIX – Building and maintaining Arizona’s vast highway system isn’t an easy job, and to do it, Arizona Department of Transportation crews spend a lot of time near traffic as it rushes by. 

That closeness to oncoming traffic can come with serious safety risks when motorists speed through work zones or choose to drive dangerously. That’s why during this year’s Work Zone Awareness Week, ADOT is calling on motorists to be patient and alert when driving through work zones so everyone can get home safely. 

The theme of this year’s Work Zone Awareness Week, which runs April 15-19, is “Work zones are temporary. But actions behind the wheel can last forever.” Highway improvement project work is not permanent, but crashes that lead to serious injuries or fatalities can have lasting impacts. And it’s important for drivers to play their part in reducing work zone injuries and fatalities.

“All drivers can help keep themselves and workers safe by slowing down and being alert in work zones,” ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said. “Work zones are designed to keep drivers and passengers safe, while crews work to improve Arizona’s highways and, ultimately, give you a better driving experience.” 

According to the Federal Highway Administration, about 80% of work zone fatalities nationwide were drivers and their passengers in 2021. 

Statewide law enforcement crash reports show that since 2019 at least 59 people have been killed in work zone-related crashes along all roads in Arizona, including local streets and state highways. Arizona work zone crash statistics over the past five years include the following:

  • 2019: 15 fatalities, 22 serious injuries
  • 2020: 11 fatalities, 23 serious injuries 
  • 2021: 13 fatalities, 23 serious injuries
  • 2022: 11 fatalities, 29 serious injuries
  • 2023*: 9 fatalities, 15 serious injuries (*preliminary: all 2023 crash reports not yet analyzed) 

It’s important to expect the unexpected in a work zone — lanes may be restricted, speed limits may be reduced and people may be working on or near the roads.  

Remember to drive alert and pay attention to signage, workers and other vehicles moving around in the work zone. Slow down and avoid tailgating as speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes and rear-end collisions are the most common types of crashes in work zones.

Visit azdot.gov/work-zone for more information. 

ADOT, MCDOT receive federal grant to enhance work zone safety

ADOT, MCDOT receive federal grant to enhance work zone safety

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT, MCDOT receive federal grant to enhance work zone safety

ADOT, MCDOT receive federal grant to enhance work zone safety

September 11, 2023

Agencies will deploy new technologies to aid drivers, work crews

PHOENIX – The shared goal of enhancing safety in work zones is getting a helping hand from a U.S. Department of Transportation grant recently awarded to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT).

ADOT and MCDOT will use the $970,000 Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration Grant to strategically procure and deploy next generation freeway and arterial technology to help keep both motorists and workers safe in construction and maintenance work zones. Key outcomes for using this technology include improving highway and arterial roadway efficiency, safety, mobility and reliability through more effective management of work zones.  

“Safety has always been ADOT’s top priority, and new technologies are powerful tools to help us expand our efforts in work zones,” said Greg Byres, ADOT State Engineer and Deputy Director for Transportation. “This grant will help ADOT and MCDOT make work zones even safer for the public and road workers, while also giving drivers real-time information when it’s most needed.”

ADOT and MCDOT have both successfully deployed Smart Work Zone technologies during freeway and arterial roadway construction projects. The proposed technologies to be deployed with this grant are new devices and systems that have not been used in Arizona. This technology also can generate real-time data from devices in the work zone and provide it to transportation agency systems, which can then broadcast it through traveler information tools.

“MCDOT has been a leader in emerging, smart technologies for more than a decade,” said Jesse Gutierrez, MCDOT Director. “These new technologies not only promise the benefit of improved work zone safety, they also can deliver real-time traffic information to keep the public apprised of potential delays and when they should seek an alternate route.” 

Examples of potential smart work zone technology being deployed include: 

  • Intelligent cones to transmit work zone data

  • Intelligent cones to warn workers if a vehicle enters the construction area

  • Emergency light alerts to warn travelers of construction and emergency vehicles

  • Impact alert barricades

  • Smart arrow boards with real-time traffic information alerts

  • Smart rumble strips that are activated based on traffic flow to warn motorists to slow down

ADOT and MCDOT have selected four projects where the technology will deployed starting in 2023:

  • ADOT’s project to replace the Interstate 10 Gila River Bridges in Pinal County

  • ADOT’s project to rehabilitate pavement on State Route 86 in Pima County, between mileposts 90-105

  • MCDOT’s project to improve the intersection of MC 85/91st Avenue

  • Various MCDOT maintenance projects

About ADOT:

The Arizona Department of Transportation is a multimodal transportation agency focused on safety and serving the traveling public in one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions. ADOT is responsible for planning, building and operating more than 6,500 miles of state highways, thousands of bridges and the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. The agency also operates the Motor Vehicle Division, providing title, registration and driver-license services throughout the state.

About MCDOT: 

Maricopa County is the fourth-largest county in the nation, as well as one of the fastest-growing counties. The Maricopa County Department of Transportation is responsible for planning, designing, building, maintaining and operating roads in unincorporated Maricopa County. MCDOT’s core purpose is providing conne

Safely Home for both crews and drivers in work zones

Safely Home for both crews and drivers in work zones

Safely Home for both crews and drivers in work zones

Safely Home for both crews and drivers in work zones

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director
April 11, 2022

March 4, 2020 remains a dark day at the Arizona Department of Transportation. Frank Dorizio, a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm, was killed while on duty, setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area. He was the first ADOT worker since 1998 to be struck and killed while working along a highway. We honor our ADOT employees who have been killed in the line of duty with a special memorial at the Sunset Point Rest Area on Interstate 17. 

Safely Home is our True North at ADOT. It’s what guides us in the decisions we make in constructing and maintaining the state transportation system. We want to ensure that you and your loved ones, as well as our construction crews and employees, get safely home each and every day. Besides our crews, law enforcement officers are often on-duty in a construction zone.

National Work Zone Awareness Week, April 11-15, is the time to remind everyone of the importance of being a responsible driver in work zones. Sadly, national data shows motorists are the ones killed most frequently in work zones because of speed and not paying attention.

At ADOT, we put safety first when establishing work zones. We designate work zones with signage, barricades, cones and orange or yellow vests. We want to ensure workers and drivers have enough space to safely navigate through a work zone. We need drivers to do their part and slow down when driving through work zones.

Besides our transportation crews, we have first responders like law enforcement, firefighters and tow truck operators who also need a safe area to work. When you see these individuals in a work zone, you should slow down for them, too.

Our I-10 Broadway Curve project team created a public service announcement, reminding drivers to pay attention, slow down when driving through the project area. I encourage you to watch the video and share it with others. It’s a simple reminder that work zone safety is everyone’s responsibility.

When you take the wheel in your hands, you have a responsibility to drive safely so all our loved ones come home.

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

Work zone awareness is needed at all times

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Communications
April 30, 2021

As transportation departments and other safety organizations across the country wrap up this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), we truly hope that the emphasis on this life-and-death issue stays with you at all times when you’re behind the wheel.

The national event, held April 26-30, provided ADOT with an opportunity to place a spotlight on dangers associated with traffic traveling through work zones – not just on our state highways but also local streets in communities across Arizona.

We want to thank media outlets who provided coverage of NWZAW, including live reports from an I-17 work zone where the freeway bridge over Central Avenue in Phoenix is being reconstructed. It was great to see TV traffic reporters here in the Valley taking part in “Wear Orange Day” on Wednesday as part of the week’s events.

Nearly a thousand fatalities occurred in 2019 in work zone-related crashes across the U.S., according to statistics provided by the Federal Highway Administration. The majority of those deaths involved drivers or passengers in vehicles.

Here in Arizona, law enforcement crash reports showed there were 15 work zone-related fatalities across the state in 2019. That number was 17 deaths in 2018. Last year ADOT lost one of its own, Frank Dorizio, who was struck and killed by a vehicle while he was setting up a sign along Interstate 10 in the Casa Grande area. 

These are the top reasons we ask you to take this issue to heart. You indeed could be a life saver by slowing down and staying alert when approaching any work zone.

If you were out on one of our Arizona freeways or highways during National Work Zone Awareness Week, you may have seen one of our safety messages, including “Give ‘Em A Brake, Stay Alert in Work Zones.” 

We’re looking out for the men and women who work dangerous jobs in order to make things better as we move about the Grand Canyon State. But we’re also looking out for you, and any passengers traveling with you. In turn, we depend on you to remember the importance of being careful well beyond this one week. 

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

From the Director: It's risky business in work zones for both crews and drivers

By John Halikowski / ADOT Director
April 28, 2021

It’s got to be one of the worst phone calls to receive as a state department of transportation director. To find out you have an injured employee or, even worse, a fatality in a work zone – something that is totally preventable if people are driving safely through a work zone.

It’s a call I did receive on March 4, 2020. Frank Dorizio, a member of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Incident Response Unit, was killed while on duty, setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area. He was the first ADOT worker since 1998 to be struck and killed while working along a highway.

Two contractor employees have been injured this year – one a fatality. The fatality occurred on State Route 347 near the city of Maricopa, while the injured construction worker was part of a paving project on Interstate 10 near Benson this past week.

With April 26-30 designated as “Work Zone Awareness Week,” it’s important to remind everyone of the need for work zone safety.

At ADOT, we put safety first when establishing work zones. We designate work zones with signage, barricades, cones and orange or yellow vests. We want to ensure workers and drivers have enough space to safely navigate through a work zone. 

Besides our transportation crews, we have first responders like law enforcement, firefighters and tow truck operators who also need a safe area to work.

We just need drivers to pay attention when entering work zones. National data shows motorists are the ones killed most frequently in work zones because of speed and not paying attention.

If you would like to learn more about National Work Zone Awareness Week, you can watch the YouTube video and visit this website.

Our True North, Safely Home, means we want you and your loved ones to arrive home safely. 

This holds true for our ADOT employees who deserve to get Safely Home, every day.

Being in a work zone is a risk our construction and maintenance crews take on each and every day. Please pay attention while driving through work zones!

ADOT testing smart work zone along I-40 to make work zones safer for everyone

ADOT testing smart work zone along I-40 to make work zones safer for everyone

I-17 101 traffic interchange

ADOT testing smart work zone along I-40 to make work zones safer for everyone

ADOT testing smart work zone along I-40 to make work zones safer for everyone

February 4, 2021

PHOENIX – In order to increase safety and mobility in highway work zones, the Arizona Department of Transportation is studying a “smart work zone” at an existing I-40 bridge project located between Flagstaff and Winslow.

A smart work zone is a traffic management system that can be controlled remotely through computer networks, portable message boards and sensor technology to provide motorists with real-time traffic information as they approach construction work zones. This project utilizes a dynamic merge system, which is a specific type of smart work zone.

The dynamic merge system is designed to mitigate the potential hazards of lane closures by altering the time to merge based on the current level of traffic. When traffic is light, electronic signs placed well ahead of the work zone encourage drivers to merge into the open lane prior to the lane closure. When traffic is heavy, the system will encourage drivers to remain in the closed lane for as long as possible in what is known as a zipper merge.

ADOT has been utilizing the zipper merge on various projects since 2016. The zipper merge works by having drivers remain in their lanes and merge just before the lane closure begins. It’s a more efficient way of moving heavy traffic through a work zone where a lane is closed.

In order to study the potential impact a dynamic merge system can have on safety and mobility in a highway construction work zone, ADOT picked an existing bridge deck rehabilitation project on I-40 at the Two Guns and Meteor Crater bridges as a test site. 

ADOT set up a dynamic merge smart work zone in the westbound direction and a traditional work zone in the eastbound direction in order to compare the effectiveness of a dynamic merge system.

Drivers passing through the work zone toward Flagstaff from Winslow should follow instructions on when to merge through electronic message signs.

Crash data and speed data will be gathered from the smart work zone and traditional work zone and used to evaluate the impact and inform decisions on future highway projects.

ADOT used something similar during a recent project to rehabilitate three I-15 bridges in the Virgin River Gorge. The queue warning system, as it was called, included portable message boards informing drivers of stop-and-go traffic ahead. That system, like this one on I-40, used equipment that detected traffic in real-time in an effort to help reduce collisions and improve safety and mobility.

Portable signs point the way to bypassing I-17 work zone

Portable signs point the way to bypassing I-17 work zone

Portable signs point the way to bypassing I-17 work zone

Portable signs point the way to bypassing I-17 work zone

By Doug Nintzel / ADOT Public Information Office
June 23, 2020

The important ongoing project to reconstruct the Interstate 17 bridge over Central Avenue south of downtown Phoenix remains in an early stage. But before the work got started, our staff at ADOT knew the bridge work zone would present challenges for drivers who use the stretch of I-17 between the I-10 “Stack” and “Split” interchanges.

A decision was made to incorporate a “Smart Work Zone” safety innovation into the I-17 project at Central Avenue. As you can see in this ADOT video, the project team has followed through with the placement of portable message signs on trailers at nearby freeway locations to provide drivers with travel times for both I-10 and I-17 in the downtown area.

For example, one of our message signs along westbound I-10 near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport provides both I-10 and I-17 travel times. That allows drivers to compare the estimated travel time for using northbound I-17, which includes the work zone, or what to expect by staying on I-10 in the downtown area.

On average, the optional I-10 route that includes traveling through the Deck Park Tunnel is saving drivers five or more minutes of commute time, not to mention avoiding the frustration associated with slow moving traffic in a work zone. Even with lighter traffic conditions on freeways during the current health situation, there are times when slow downs and backups occur on I-17 in the area approaching the bridge work at Central Avenue.

The portable sign system uses traffic data to calculate the estimated travel times to predetermined destinations. This system is much like the one used to provide drivers with valuable travel times on ADOT’s permanent electronic message boards along Valley freeways.

As part of this pilot project, portable message boards also have been placed in areas along I-10 approaching interchanges connecting to the new Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. Those signs also provide drivers with estimated travel times for using either Loop 202 or I-10 through the downtown Phoenix region.

ADOT has recently established several Smart Work Zone initiatives to help offset challenges associated with keeping traffic moving while construction is taking place. Those innovations include an I-15 queue warning system in the Virgin River Gorge, providing drivers with information to prepare for stop-and-go conditions ahead. Another example is the I-40 dynamic merge system east of Flagstaff that adjusts methods for merging depending on conditions near a bridge project at Meteor Crater.

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

VIDEO: ADOT crews give on-the-ground view of work zone safety

By Doug Pacey / ADOT Communications
April 22, 2020

Everyone can use a reminder about what they can do to make highway work zones safer. Even with lighter traffic volume these days, there’s no such thing as a completely safe work zone. It only takes one inattentive driver to cause a life-changing crash.

While we’re happy to point you toward a list of tips and best practices for navigating work zones, sometimes the message resonates deeper when it comes from the people who are affected most.

In this case, it’s the men and women who build and maintain Arizona’s highways. Throughout National Work Zone Awareness Week, we’re letting them tell their stories about work zones through a series of short videos that we’re posting on social media. 

Here’s a sampling of those videos, with each one playing after the last:

In work zones, orange is the new (caution) yellow

In work zones, orange is the new (caution) yellow

In work zones, orange is the new (caution) yellow

In work zones, orange is the new (caution) yellow

By Tom Herrmann / ADOT Communications
April 21, 2020

We all know the feeling. You’re out on the open road, a long stretch of freeway with little traffic, and your foot wants to push down on the gas pedal. In your mind you’re zooming down the highway just like in the movies. Fast if not furious.

In places like Tucson and Phoenix, where drivers are used to heavy traffic, there are fewer vehicles on the road because of the current public health situation. Driving a little faster may seem tempting.

You’re not alone. According to the national Governors Highway Safety Association, drivers are speeding with alarming frequency nationwide.

ADOT has seen it in our work zones, so much so that last week we urged drivers to slow down for the safety of road workers and themselves. With traffic lighter these days, we've expanded work hours for freeway construction and maintenance crews. Crews are starting earlier or working on weekdays instead of just weekends to complete their work more safely and efficiently. Drivers can come across work crews when and where they don’t expect it. The video at right shows just some of the work happening right now on Valley freeways.

Excessive speed plus work zone restrictions is a scary proposition. Workers stand just a few feet from travel lanes. Drivers make lane changes at the last moment because they were expecting clear lanes instead of construction barricades. It’s dangerous for everyone.

If safety concerns aren’t enough, Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers have a no-tolerance policy for speeding in a work zone.

With Work Zone Awareness Week at hand, following these safety tips from azdot.gov/WorkZone may save your life and the lives of road workers and others:

  • 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 your travel lane.
  • Slow down: Speeding is one of the leading causes of work zone crashes.
  • Merge safely: Do it early and carefully or as directed by signage instead of barging into a line of vehicles at the last moment.
  • Don’t tailgate: The most common crash in a work zone is the rear-end collision. Don’t follow too closely and, again, slow down.

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Driving Safety Home: Safe work zones for all

Dallas Hammit / ADOT State Engineer
March 31, 2020

Work Zone Awareness Week 2020 is April 20-24, and I don’t know about you, but this year I think it holds even more meaning for us as an agency.

Don’t get me wrong – with more than 1,000 employees who work in maintenance and construction projects on highways throughout the state, work-zone safety is ALWAYS one of the most important issues we deal with at ADOT. However, the recent tragic loss of our ADOT colleague, Frank Dorizio, underscores for all of us just how crucial it is for drivers to be aware in the work zone.

We want everyone to get home safely at the end of the work day. Sadly, that doesn’t always happen.

With that in mind, I encourage you to talk with your family and friends about work zone safety. Explain to them that there’s just no excuse for driving recklessly.

While you’re at it, take time to examine your own driving behaviors and make the commitment to staying safe in the work zone – slow down, always obey signs and flaggers, and prepare for lane restrictions.

For more information, please check out the work zone safety section on our ADOT website and remember these tips when driving in work zones:

  • Expect the unexpected. Normal speed limits may be reduced, traffic lanes may be restricted and people may be working on or near the road.
  • Slow down! Speeding is one of the major causes of work zone crashes.
  • Keep a safe distance. The most common type of accident in a work zone is a rear-end collision. Maintain two car lengths between you and the car in front of you as well as road crews and their equipment.
  • Pay attention. The warning signs are there to help you move safely through the work zone. Observe the posted signs.
  • Obey road crew flaggers. The flagger knows what is best for moving traffic safely in the work zone. A flagger has the same authority as a regulatory sign. You can be cited for disobeying a flagger's directions.
  • Stay alert and minimize distractions. Dedicate your full attention to the roadway and avoid changing radio stations or using cellphones while driving in a work zone.
  • Keep up with traffic flow. Motorists can help maintain traffic flow and posted speeds by merging as directed by signage.
  • Be patient and stay calm. Remember, crews are working to improve the road and your commute.