News

Heavier afternoon rush hour traffic can be expected Thursday afternoon, Jan. 8, on westbound Interstate 10 in Phoenix before the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl kicks off at State Farm Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Learn more here.

Also in 2026, ADOT will launch a project to transform the final two-lane section of State Route 260 between Payson and the Mogollon Rim into a four-lane highway. And in Kingman, work will continue on a free-flowing interchange connecting Interstate 40 and US 93.

In Tucson, construction crews will be finishing an I-10 widening project on the northwest side, continuing another I-10 project southeast of downtown and kicking off an I-19 interchange reconstruction. Several key projects are occuring elsewhere in Southern Arizona in 2026.

Several large Arizona Department of Transportation projects are set to get underway along Phoenix-area freeways in 2026, including the first projects funded under Proposition 479 approved by Maricopa County voters in 2024.

On the Road With ADOT, a weekly podcast highlighting projects, people and initiatives, recently surpassed the milestone of 100 episodes. ADOT shares these conversations every Friday at azdot.gov/podcast and most podcast platforms.

The $2.1 million project, which began in September 2024, improved a route commonly known as Navajo Boulevard in downtown Holbrook, which is home to dozens of businesses. Other improvements included ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps.

If you’re packing up the kids and the presents and hitting the holiday road, you’ve got one more reason to celebrate this season, now that the new flex lanes are open and the I-17 Improvement Project has officially reached substantial completion.

The speed limit on the four-lane State Route 24 in the Southeast Valley has been adjusted from 45 to 55 mph following an ADOT evaluation. Learn more here.

ADOT has opened a second lane leading into and along the northbound I-17 exit at Loop 303 to provide more capacity for traffic, especially during busy rush hours. Learn more here.

ADOT’s 400 snowplow operators have been preparing themselves and our fleet of 200 snowplows for the winter season, and drivers should prepare themselves and their vehicles for winter weather driving conditions.

The Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) Improvement Project, which is adding new lanes between Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and Val Vista Drive in the Southeast Valley, has reached the halfway mark toward completion. Learn more here.

With the addition of the Ovarian Cancer Awareness, Phoenix Mercury and Verde Valley Wine Trail specialty plates, MVD now offers 109 options that can be viewed at azdot.gov/plates and ordered at azmvdnow.gov/plates.

A much-anticipated wildlife overpass under construction along Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff is more than halfway done as the project moves into a winter weather shutdown. Learn more here.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has narrowed Interstate 10 to a single lane in each direction about 10 miles west of Benson for a project to rehabilitate four bridges in Pima County. 

Every day, emergency responders put themselves at risk to help keep the traveling public safe when incidents occur on roadways. During National Crash Responder Safety Week, traffic safety stakeholders across Arizona call on the traveling public: “Safety starts with you — Slow down and move over.”

The Arizona Department of Transportation is preparing for its annual winter closures of several high-country routes. State Route 366 (Swift Trail) ascending Mount Graham in Southern Arizona are scheduled to close on Saturday, Nov. 15.

The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety awarded ECD $38,666 so officers equipped with advanced training to recognize alcohol and drug impairment can conduct additional enforcement for driving under the influence through Sept. 30, 2026.

ADOT has opened a new southbound lane along Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) between Princess Drive and Shea Boulevard. Learn more about the latest milestone for the Loop 101 Improvement Project in Scottsdale.

All the votes have been counted in the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Safety Message Contest and the public has picked two winning messages! Each person who submitted a winning message was invited to ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center to input their messages into the Dynamic Message Sign system and see their safety message go live via highway cameras.

Signs installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation now mark 17 miles of US 95 in Yuma as Gary Knight Memorial Highway, honoring the late civic leader who also served as chairman of the Arizona State Transportation Board.