News

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the long-proposed South Mountain Freeway, the final link in the voter-approved loop system of freeways serving the Phoenix region.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement is the next step in the federally required review process, and provides the public with a final opportunity to review the preferred action as a result of the South Mountain Transportation Corridor Study.

The Arizona Department of Transportation, in close collaboration with the Maricopa Association of Governments and the Arizona Division of the Federal Highway Administration, has selected the project delivery approach that will be used to construct the South Mountain Freeway in the event that the Final Environmental Impact Statement indicates a preferred alternative rather than the no-build option.

PHOENIX —The reconstruction of US 89 between Bitter Springs and Page will begin later this month after the State Transportation Board approved a $25 million project to repair the landslide-damaged highway at Friday’s board meeting in Cottonwood, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The roadway, which suffered catastrophic damage following a landslide on the early morning of Feb. 20, 2013, has remained closed after a 500-foot section of roadway buckled in Echo Cliffs, approximately 25 miles south of Page.

PHOENIX – New steps are being taken in the Phoenix area this week in efforts to get the attention of wrong-way drivers before they enter a freeway in the wrong direction.

Although “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs already are in place along freeway off-ramps, new and larger versions of such signs will be installed and studied along the exit ramps at six freeway interchanges, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. In addition, signs will be placed lower on their posts to test if that could help in alerting confused or impaired wrong-way drivers.

PHOENIX – Visitors to rest areas along state highways will begin to notice recycling containers onsite since the Arizona Department of Transportation started a recycling program at three rest areas with plans to expand it statewide.

The program involves partnering with recycling vendors to install 8-cubic-yard bins and smaller blue containers at the rest areas for travelers to use for their recyclable trash. The vendor will collect the recyclables at least once a week.

PHOENIX – Two years ago, the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation launched a study to determine the feasibility of building a new multimodal interstate corridor linking Phoenix and Las Vegas, while stretching south to Mexico and potentially north to Canada. That study is now nearing completion and will include one more opportunity for the public to get involved and provide comments.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is starting a project that will make it easier for drivers and cyclists to move along a seven-mile stretch of Oracle Road (State Route 77) in the Catalina area.

PHOENIX – The directors of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, convened an emergency meeting Sunday afternoon to talk about the recent fatal wrong-way driver crashes on Arizona highways.

PHOENIX – Drivers will be able to travel the Valley’s newest freeway connection during the Monday morning commute. The first mile of State Route 24, the Gateway Freeway, is complete and was opened to traffic late this afternoon, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The new freeway segment includes a direct freeway-to-freeway interchange connecting State Route 24 to the Loop 202 (Santan Freeway).

PHOENIX – Coming soon to your wallet or handbag: a newly designed Arizona driver license – and a new process to get it.

Beginning June 16, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is expanding central credential issuance to all offices statewide, meaning that customers visiting a Motor Vehicle Division office to obtain a new driver license or identification card will leave with a temporary credential. The permanent license or identification card will be mailed to the customer, and received within 15 days.

The Arizona Department of Transportation takes seriously all collisions on state highways, including cross-median crashes, which are a small percentage of serious crashes on the Interstate 10 corridor between Phoenix and Tucson. ADOT’s Traffic Safety Section, along with the Federal Highway Administration, is currently implementing a Roadway Departure Safety Plan that will help reduce cross-median and other roadway departure crashes on highways across the state.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has scheduled a lineup of public outreach events during April for its Passenger Rail Corridor Study as the department continues to examine the feasibility of a passenger rail line between Phoenix and Tucson.

PHOENIX – They are just signs, but they say a lot.

New highway signs marking the future I-11 corridor between Phoenix and Las Vegas have been installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation along US 93, a likely route for the proposed interstate. Four of the “Future I-11 Corridor” signs have been installed leading to the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge, which was constructed in 2010 to interstate-highway standards.

PHOENIX – As the Arizona Department of Transportation continues to study the feasibility of a passenger rail line between Phoenix and Tucson, the agency is looking to the public to provide input on the three alternatives that have been selected for further study.

PHOENIX — One year after a landslide forced the closure US 89 south of Page, the Arizona Department of Transportation is gearing up to start construction early summer and potentially complete the emergency repair by the end of this year — if there are no environmental, utility or right-of-way hurdles.

Following an extensive geological investigation into the Feb. 20, 2013 landslide that concluded in July, ADOT has made major strides in accelerating progress on the emergency project.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has released a Request for Information related to the proposal to construct the South Mountain Freeway as a public-private partnership, if the freeway is approved through the ongoing federal environmental process.

PHOENIX – In 2011, the Arizona Department of Transportation created a special overweight commercial truck permit pilot program to efficiently move time-sensitive produce shipments from Mexico across the border into Arizona through the Mariposa Commercial Port of Entry in Nogales. Success with the program in Nogales has now prompted ADOT to expand the program to include the 25-mile commercial zone at the San Luis Port of Entry.

PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation marked a year of accomplishments in 2013, including the quick response to a natural catastrophe that damaged US 89 near Page, gathering community input at public meetings on the proposed Interstate 11 corridor linking Phoenix and Las Vegas, and alerting drivers to the state’s “Move Over” law. Here’s a look at the highlights from around the state.

Phoenix-Area Freeways

Loop 303 Improvements

PHOENIX – Arizona’s transportation infrastructure is vital to our mobility and our quality of life. Creating a reliable and sustainable state highway system means making an investment for future generations. Part of that investment involves assessing our current system and evaluating long-term needs.

PHOENIX – The Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation will host a series of five public meetings this month to present the range of alternatives under consideration for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor and provide the results of the preliminary analysis.