News

Gregory Byres named incoming State Engineer

ADOT veteran succeeds retiring Dallas Hammit

PHOENIX - Gregory Byres, P.E., has been named the incoming Deputy Director for Transportation and State Engineer for the Arizona Department of Transportation. He will succeed Dallas Hammit, who is retiring after 22 years with ADOT. 

Dallas Hammit, Arizona Department of Transportation Deputy Director and State Engineer, is retiring after a 22-year career with the agency. Hammit has the distinction of having the second-longest tenure in this crucial position having served in this job since 2014.  

The State Engineer supports and coordinates operations of all ADOT transportation divisions to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for the state. 

PHOENIX – The final major components of the Loop 101 Improvement Project in the north Valley have been completed following the last scheduled full weekend closure for lane-marking work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – The eastbound lanes of the Loop 202 Santan Freeway reopened Saturda

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has made available 15 new specialty license plates.

“We know that people who choose specialty license plates for their vehicles take pride in owning and displaying them,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen said. “MVD is pleased that we can partner with various organizations and help raise funds that benefit Arizonans.”

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety are entering into an agreement to streamline and enhance commercial vehicle enforcement at Arizona’s ports-of-entry located at interstate and international borders. 

Under this partnership, 89 sworn ADOT Enforcement officers and 49 non-sworn personnel will be assigned to the DPS Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Task Force on a full-time basis. This will enhance officer safety as well as increase efficiency and operational consistency for both agencies. 

TUCSON - A two-year project began in April to pave and make other improvements to 10 miles of State Route 77, yet just 9 months into the project more than half the pavement has been replaced to make for a smoother ride.

As 2021 comes to a close, motorists are seeing a big change to this busy Tucson-area roadway where large segments of worn pavement have been replaced.

PHOENIX – With many traveling to see family and friends this holiday season, plus the potential for snow up north attracting day-trippers, the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to remind drivers not to drive distracted.

If you’re traveling alone, drivers are urged to use phones to call or text at one of the state’s 15 rest areas. Once in a rest area, you can safely devote your attention to your device to make a call or send or respond to texts.

PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Transportation are safely easing the process for obtaining a Commercial Driver License in an effort to alleviate stress on the transportation system and help address the nationwide supply chain crisis.

The Governor’s Office and Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) also are reopening two long-closed rest stops so commercial drivers have additional opportunities to rest.

PHOENIX - O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

You just fell off my SUV

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

I lost you on Loop 303

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

What will I tell my family?

Don’t be the unlucky Christmas tree buyer whose tree falls off a vehicle only moments after strapping it to your vehicle’s roof. Set aside the embarrassment or wasted expense, because Christmas trees that fall off vehicles are a serious safety hazard that drivers should plan to avoid before bringing their trees home this holiday season.

FLAGSTAFF – With the winter months rapidly approaching, the Arizona Department of Transportation has closed State Route 67 between Jacob Lake (US 89A) and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park on Wednesday, Dec. 1.

ADOT closes a number of highways every year  as part of the agency’s winter shutdown schedule due to significant amounts of snowfall these regions typically receive.

In addition to the SR 67 closure, highways such as state routes 261 and 273 in the White Mountains will close by Dec. 31, though they could close sooner depending on the weather.

TUCSON - All lanes of the Houghton Road interchange at Interstate 10 are now open as the Arizona Department of Transportation has completed a new kind of interchange for southern Arizona.

The $24.4 million project features a diverging diamond interchange, an innovative design that will improve safety and traffic flow in a rapidly growing part of southeast Tucson.

FLAGSTAFF – The Meteor Crater Rest Area on Interstate 40 east of Flagstaff has reopened to travelers in time for holiday travel after the Arizona Department of Transportation completed a renovation of the facility.

The rest area, which was closed in January of this year, received upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improvements to the water/wastewater system, as well as architectural, electrical, mechanical rehabilitation and resurfacing of the parking lot.

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Suns specialty license plate has a new look and it’s a slam dunk for fans of the NBA Western Conference champions.

The Phoenix Suns specialty plate can be ordered at azmvdnow.gov, which is the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division’s primary online self-service portal.

PHOENIX – The Record of Decision and Final Preliminary Section 4(f) Evaluation for the 280-mile Interstate 11 study corridor – stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg – has been completed and published. After more than five years of study, technical analysis and input from communities and stakeholders, the publication of this decision document marks a major milestone as the final step in the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement process for this proposed highway corridor.

PHOENIX – Cooler temperatures are around the corner and that means snow in Arizona’s high country. To help travelers this winter, the Arizona Department of Transportation has partnered with the National Weather Service to create graphics that use their color code for storm severity to better inform drivers of what to expect from winter storms.

Cooler temperatures are around the corner and that means snow in Arizona’s high country. To help travelers this winter, the Arizona Department of Transportation has partnered with the National Weather Service to create graphics that use their color code for storm severity to better inform drivers of what to expect from winter storms.

FLAGSTAFF – As winter season approaches, the Arizona Department of Transportation is shoring up its northern Arizona projects in anticipation of cooler temperatures and snow.

Two projects in the Flagstaff area that will shut down by Monday, Nov. 15, are the bridge replacement project on I-40 over Business 40 in west Flagstaff and the I-40 paving project from I-17 to Walnut Canyon Road. Crews are working to ensure that both lanes on I-40 in both directions will be open through the winter season.

PHOENIX – Give yourself the gift of travel this holiday season and upgrade your driver license to the Arizona Travel ID.

Now is a great time to get the Arizona Travel ID because, historically, Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices see fewer customers during the holiday season than other times of the year. 

SHOW LOW – Did you know that about 60% of all roadway fatalities in Arizona are the result of vehicles leaving the road? That’s why the Arizona Department of Transportation has started a new project along US 60 west of Show Low to create a space for those vehicles to safely stop and recover.

On US 60 west of Show Low, there have been 11 fatal and 34 serious injury crashes over the last 10 years between mileposts 292 and 340. Many of these crashes involved leaving the roadway.