SURPRISE ‒ With columns rising on both sides of Grand Avenue (US 60) and Bell Road for a $41.9 million overpass and interchange, crews have started adding scaffolding known as falsework connecting columns to help workers get ready to add girders.

That’s one of the most visual changes at the project site in the past week. While continuing to install columns on both sides of Grand Avenue in the coming week, crews will grade the east side of Grand in preparation for paving and forming a curb and gutters.

Bell Road closed April 1 between 134th Drive and West Point Parkway to allow faster completion of a bridge that will carry traffic over Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks and provide ramps to and from Grand. The closure will end by November.

The primary detour route is along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Please obey all traffic signs and posted speed limits, and also note that additional law enforcement is on patrol.

Access to businesses next to the project area will be maintained throughout the project.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

PHOENIX ‒ Improving traffic flow and safety on Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson. Helping commerce move on a state route between the border and Interstate 19 in Nogales. Rehabilitating an 850-foot-long bridge along Interstate 15 in northwestern Arizona.

Aiming to move forward sooner on those goals, the Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking $109.5 million through two highly competitive federal grant programs.

With $800 million available through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FASTLANE grant program, established under the 2015 FAST Act, ADOT has applied for $60 million and offered to provide $86.83 million in matching funds to be used in four ways along I-10 between the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas:

• Realigning and widening four miles in the Picacho area to three lanes in each direction while reconstructing the interchange with State Route 87.
• Widening four miles between Earley Road and Interstate 8 to three lanes in each direction while upgrading ramps at Jimmie Kerr Boulevard near Casa Grande.
• Making technology enhancements to improve traffic management and safety, including remote sensors to provide early warning of approaching dust.
• Conducting preliminary engineering and completing an environmental analysis for widening 27 miles of I-10 to three lanes in each direction between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and approximately SR 387 in Casa Grande. Any plan to widen I-10 through the Gila River Indian Community would require an agreement with the tribal government.

“The impact of Interstate 10 on Arizona’s citizens and economy is huge. Improvements to this vital link between Phoenix and Tucson are critical to our quality of life,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Each element of the FASTLANE grant proposal will advance these efforts to continue improving I-10 and significantly benefit motorists and the flow of commerce.”

Meanwhile, ADOT has submitted Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant proposals for two projects:

• $25 million, with a proposed $39 million state match, to improve the 3.75-mile State Route 189 (Mariposa Road) in Nogales. Proposed upgrades to the route, which connects the Mariposa Port of Entry with Interstate 19 and Interstate Business 19/Grand Avenue, include a raised median and improving ramps connecting with I-19.
• $24.5 million, with a proposed $10.5 million state match, to rehabilitate Virgin River Bridge No. 1 on Interstate 15. Built in 1964 and located just east of Littlefield in the far northwestern corner of Arizona, the bridge has never undergone a major rehabilitation.

Both TIGER grant projects and the two I-10 construction projects in the FASTLANE grant are already part of ADOT’s plans, both through its current construction program and the Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program that’s receiving public input and awaiting a vote by the State Transportation Board.

For Virgin River Bridge No. 1, $33 million in construction funding is programmed for fiscal 2019. For SR 189, ADOT has recommended $64 million in fiscal 2021 for construction. For the I-10 projects, ADOT has recommended $85 million in fiscal 2018 for the Picacho area and $40 million in fiscal 2019 for Earley Road to I-8.

Winning grants would allow these projects to move forward faster and enable ADOT to redirect money toward other pressing needs.

“There are no guarantees when it comes to competitive grants, but success pays big dividends for Arizona,” Halikowski said.

Since 2012, ADOT has received a total of $43.6 million through 15 competitive grants, most of them administered by U.S. DOT. Much of that amount comes from TIGER grants for a planned railroad overpass on State Route 347 in Maricopa and the ongoing reconstruction of Virgin River Bridge No. 6 on I-15.

There will be plenty of competition from other states for FASTLANE and TIGER grants. For fiscal 2015, when ADOT won a $15 million grant toward the SR 347 project, U.S. DOT received 627 eligible applications worth $10.1 billion for the $500 million available. About $500 million is available in the current round of TIGER grants.

U.S. DOT is expected to announce awards from both grant programs later this year.

TUCSON – Final resurfacing of Interstate 10 as part of the 17-mile improvement project between Tucson and Benson is set to begin next week, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers should allow extra travel time and use caution in the work zone while the pavement improvements are taking place over the next five weeks. Significant delays can be expected at times, especially during the peak morning and afternoon travel periods.

Initial I-10 restrictions are scheduled as follows:

• I-10 ramps at Empirita Road (Exit 292) closed intermittently in either direction from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday (April 25) for paving. When an exit ramp is closed, drivers can detour to the next exit, turn at the interchange and reach Empirita Road using the opposite direction of travel.
• Eastbound I-10 narrowed to one lane between the Cochise County line and the State Route 90 junction near Benson (mileposts 296-301) during daytime hours (approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Tuesday through Thursday (April 26-28) for paving. Please allow extra travel time and plan on delays while the improvement work is taking place.
• Westbound I-10 narrowed to one lane between the State Route 90 junction and the Cochise County line (mileposts 301-296) during daytime hours (approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Friday (April 29) for paving. Please allow extra travel time and plan on delays while the improvement work is taking place.

Project schedules are subject to change and ADOT will work to inform the public about any necessary adjustments of the planned restrictions. ADOT also will provide details about upcoming restrictions when schedules are finalized.

The $17.1 million I-10 Improvement Project involves enhancements to the highway in an area between the junctions with state routes 83 and 90. Improvements include replacement of the westbound I-10 bridge spanning Davidson Canyon. The entire project is scheduled for completion in June.

For the latest highway conditions across Arizona visit ADOT’s Traveler Information site at www.az511.gov or call 511. State highway updates also are available via ADOT’s Twitter Feed (@ArizonaDOT).

SURPRISE ‒ A distinctive agave pattern is taking shape as columns rise for a $41.9 million overpass and interchange under construction at Bell Road and Grand Avenue (US 60).

Those viewing the Arizona Department of Transportation’s construction site over the next week will see work on columns occurring on both sides of Grand Avenue. After crews drill 66-foot-deep shafts, steel cages rise and are surrounded by molds. Then concrete is poured to finish columns bearing the agave pattern.

Other current work includes finishing installation of drainage pipes and relocating utilities along Bell Road and Grand Avenue. The video below by the city of Surprise offers an aerial view of the project area.

Bell Road closed April 1 between 134th Drive and West Point Parkway to allow faster completion of a bridge that will carry traffic over Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks and provide ramps to and from Grand. The closure will end by November.

The primary detour route is along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Please obey all traffic signs and posted speed limits, and also note that additional law enforcement is on patrol.

Access to businesses next to the project area will be maintained throughout the project.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

PHOENIX – Drive. Just drive.

That’s the message the Arizona Department of Transportation is sending to those behind the wheel during National Distracted Driving Month.

Distracted driving kills thousands and injures hundreds of thousands in the United States each year. In 2015, at least 36 people were killed on Arizona roadways because of distracted driving. Those numbers are too high. Bringing them down is simple.

Just drive.

Keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and mind engaged with driving. After all, your life is in your hands, so keep them free of distractions.

“Think about the last time you shook you head in wonder about a distracted driver killing or maiming innocent people because of the driver’s crazy-stupid behavior,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Please don’t be one of those people standing in front of the judge, facing prison and apologizing to a broken family about how you wish you could take it all back. Just drive and be part of the solution to bring the fatality numbers down.”

Distracted driving comes in many forms: eating a fast-food burger, applying mascara, smartphone use, toggling through a navigation system, twisting your neck toward the backseat to break up a sibling squabble and more. Yet, none of these activities are a driver’s primary responsibility as the operator of a one-ton, two-ton or heavier vehicle and each distraction makes a driver up to four times more likely to be involved in a crash, according to research cited by the Federal Highway Administration.

Just drive.

In 2015, nearly 8,000 distracted drivers were involved in crashes on Arizona roadways, according to preliminary data collected by ADOT. The data shows that young drivers (ages 16-24) engage in distracted driving at higher rates than older drivers, accounting for a third of all drivers engaging in distracting behavior that caused a crash.

Those startling and unnecessarily high numbers tell us one thing.

Drive. Just drive.

SURPRISE ‒ Columns that will support a $41.9 million overpass and interchange at Bell Road and Grand Avenue (US 60) will begin rising on the east side of the project now that nine shafts have been drilled, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Work has proceeded steadily since Bell Road closed April 1 between 134th Drive and West Point Parkway, with crews clearing the project area, relocating utilities and more. Among the latest progress, forms have been assembled to create bridge panels with an agave pattern.

The Bell Road closure, which will end by November, will allow faster construction of a bridge over Grand Avenue and the BNSF Railway tracks. In the meantime, the primary detour route is along Dysart, Greenway and Litchfield roads. Please obey all traffic signs and posted speed limits, and also note that additional law enforcement is on patrol.

Access to businesses next to the project area will be maintained throughout the project.

The US 60 (Grand Avenue) and Bell Road Interchange project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan approved by county voters in 2004. Funding sources include a county half-cent sales tax for transportation projects and the MAG region’s share of federal highway funds.

PHOENIX ‒ With the weekend forecast calling for gusty winds along with the possibility of snow in higher elevations, motorists should be on alert for adverse weather including blowing dust and limited visibility, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Even though monsoon season hasn’t started, blowing dust is possible throughout the year. ADOT’s safety tips for blowing dust, available at PullAsideStayAlive.org, include:

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm.
• If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle and begin slowing down.
• Pull off the roadway as soon as possible; don’t wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to do so safely.
• Completely exit the highway if possible, away from where other vehicles may travel; don’t stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including emergency flashers.
• Set the emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
• Stay in the vehicle with seat belts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.

Along with wind gusts and dust, drivers may encounter snow and icy roads in the high country, especially above 6,500 feet from Flagstaff through the Mogollon Rim. Motorists in these areas should leave prepared for winter conditions and pack an emergency road kit, including essential items such as a fully charged cellphone, food and water, and warmer clothes. For more winter driving tips, visit azdot.gov/KnowSnow.

For the most current information about highway conditions, closures and restrictions statewide, visit ADOT’s Travel Information Site at az511.gov or call 511. ADOT’s Twitter account (@ArizonaDOT) is another excellent resource.

PHOENIX ‒ A project to reduce the potential for rockfall in a quarter-mile section of northbound Interstate 17 between Camp Verde and Flagstaff will require closures of up to 30 minutes overnight starting Sunday, April 17, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers using this route between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. should plan ahead and budget extra time on the following dates, when intermittent closures will occur northbound near milepost 292 approaching McGuireville:

• Starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 17, and ending at 6 a.m. Friday, April 22.
• Starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 24, and ending at 6 a.m. Friday, April 29.

The project area is between Middle Verde Road (Exit 289) and the Rimrock/Lake Montezuma/Cornville exit at milepost 293.

Southbound I-17 traffic will be unaffected.

The project will remove rockfall debris and scale slopes to reduce the potential for rock to fall, among other work.

From April 17 through April 29, northbound oversize loads wider than 12 feet will be required to detour around the project area between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. The detour for oversize loads is State Route 260 to Cottonwood, State Route 89A to Sedona and State Route 179 to I-17.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur. Weather can also affect a project schedule. To stay up to date with the latest highway conditions around the state, visit the ADOT Traveler Information System at az511.gov or call 511.

PHOENIX – Three routes to lakes in the White Mountains have reopened after winter closures, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

They are: State Route 261 between Eagar and Big Lake; State Route 273 between Sunrise Park and Big Lake; and State Route 473 between State Route 260 and Hawley Lake.

Before heading off to enjoy the mountains, motorists should do the following:

• Make sure all occupants in a vehicle are buckled in.
• Check tire pressure, fluids and more to make sure a vehicle is in proper running condition.
• Be patient, including not following other vehicles too closely and building in extra travel time.
• Get enough sleep before the trip.
• Bring extra water and food.
• Never drink and drive.
• Check for information about highway restrictions and more by visiting az511.gov, calling 511 or following ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT).

PHOENIX – ServiceArizona kiosks installed at courthouses in El Mirage and Paradise Valley are making it easier for Arizonans to conduct business with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division without visiting an MVD office.

The kiosks, which offer the same functionality as the ServiceArizona.com website, allow customers to conduct more than 20 motor vehicle services such as accessing a driving record and renewing vehicle registrations. Most kiosks allow customers to print vehicle registrations and plate tabs for renewals.

Courthouses in Surprise and Scottsdale received kiosks last year, and the Phoenix Municipal Courthouse received two kiosks in February. There are 37 kiosks in 23 MVD offices around the state, with plans to roll out more over time.

It’s all part of an MVD initiative to provide residents with more access to motor vehicle services outside of an office.

“We want to make it easier for people to access MVD services,” said Motor Vehicle Division Director Eric Jorgensen. “Installing ServiceArizona kiosks in city courthouses helps us to provide those services where people need them.”

Other motor vehicle services available through ServiceArizona.com and kiosks include ordering a duplicate driver license or ID card and ordering specialty license plates.

The new kiosks are located at:

• El Mirage City Court: 14010 N. El Mirage Road
• Paradise Valley Municipal Court: 6517 E. Lincoln Drive

For more information, visit azdot.gov/mvd and ServiceArizona.com.