News

PHOENIX – Summer is not only a hot time for the weather, but also for parents to help potential teenage drivers get some training under their belt. It's an excellent time to have a conversation on the important rules of the road.

PHOENIX – Arizona, it’s time again to let your creative juices flow. The Arizona Department of Transportation wants to see your wittiest offerings of traffic safety messages because they could be selected to appear on our overhead highway signs.

The ADOT Safety Message Contest returns for its sixth year and we invite Arizonans to submit their best, witty, funny and creative traffic safety message. Messages can be submitted at azdot.gov/signcontest through Tuesday, June 28.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation advises motorists to expect delays and allow plenty of extra travel time when eastbound I-10 is closed between State Route 51 and US 60 (Superstition Freeway) from 10 p.m. Friday, June 24, to 4 a.m. Monday, June 27, for Broadway Road bridge work. The following ramps also will be closed:

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation has completed pavement improvements along Milton Road, also known as SR 89A, in Flagstaff, creating a smoother ride for drivers.

Most of the work took place at night as crews milled down the worn pavement and laid new pavement down. Crews also made sidewalk repairs and improved curb ramps along Milton from Forest Meadows Street to Phoenix Avenue.

Crews still have some sidewalk improvements left to do over the next couple of weeks. Crews will also return later this summer to complete final striping on the road.

PHOENIX - The State Transportation Board has approved the 2023-2027 Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, setting the stage for the expansion and improvement of several highways that carry significant passenger and freight traffic.

The final 2023-2027 Five-Year Program can be found at azdot.gov/fiveyearprogram.

The approved five-year program allocates $571 million projects that widen highways or improve interchanges, including:

PHOENIX – The Bouse Wash Rest Area on Interstate 10 in western Arizona has reopened following a year-long renovation project.

Improvements by the Arizona Department of Transportation include upgrades to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, replacing restroom fixtures and expanding the parking lot. Also, renovations improved and modernized ramadas, water and wastewater systems, vending buildings and other equipment.

The renovations took place on the eastbound and westbound rest areas, which are west of Tonopah at milepost 53.

KINGMAN – Last week, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Enforcement and Compliance Division arrested a commercial vehicle driver after finding nearly 200 pounds of cocaine in the truck when he attempted to bypass the Topock Port of Entry.

On June 6, an ADOT officer made a traffic stop on a commercial vehicle for bypassing the Topock Port of Entry on I-40 near the California state line. The officer escorted the truck back to the port of entry for a commercial vehicle inspection.

Phoenix – The Arizona Department of Transportation advises motorists to allow extra travel time and expect delays while Interstate 10 is closed at times in both directions this weekend (June 17-20) between Loop 202 (Santan/South Mountain Freeway) and US 60 (Superstition Freeway). Crews with the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project will be conducting  bridge and utility work. Guadalupe Road also will be closed in both directions this weekend between Pointe Parkway and Calle Sahuaro. 

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation is starting a project to replace pavement on 29 miles of Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff in order to create a smooth driving surface and repair damage from winter weather.

The work will stretch from the I-40 interchange south to the Coconino County line at milepost 312. Crews will mill down the worn, rough pavement and replace it with new pavement. 

PHOENIX - A menacing wall of dust appears in the distance, suddenly blocking the sun as visibility drops to almost nothing.

Blasts of wind scatter tree branches that block traffic lanes and dust gives way to torrents of rain that flood roadways.

Drivers who don’t know how to respond can be shaken, stranded or even injured. That’s why the Arizona Department of Transportation is kicking off Monsoon Awareness Week (June 13-17) by sharing important safety information so motorists are prepared for dust storms and severe weather.

PHOENIX – School may be out for the summer, but some students still have a test in their future, one they might even be looking forward to: the written driver Instruction Permit test.

Typically, June and July are two of the busier months for permit tests for the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division. However, ADOT’s official website – azdot.gov – is a one-stop shop for test-takers, offering all the study material a test-taker will need, including the Arizona Driver License Manual and practice tests.

FLAGSTAFF – The Arizona Department of Transportation has replaced the A-1 Mountain Road bridge in west Flagstaff ahead of schedule thanks to an innovative bridge construction method. The new bridge was opened to traffic Tuesday, June 7.

PHOENIX – As part of the Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, Broadway Road will be closed in both directions between 48th and 52nd streets from 10 p.m. Friday, June 10, through 4 a.m Monday, June 13. During this closure, crews will replace temporary barriers and adjust lane stripes along the roadway. 

What’s Affected

The eastbound I-10 connector ramp between 48th Street and Broadway Road will be closed.

The westbound I-10 off-ramp at Broadway Road will be closed. 

PHOENIX - To promote safety on a 20-mile segment of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande, the Arizona Department of Transportation in collaboration with the Department of Public Safety is installing new signage that will restrict heavy vehicle truck traffic on this busy section of highway. Truck traffic will be restricted to the right lane only.

The signs are an interim safety measure along the final two-lane stretch of I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson that has yet to be widened to three lanes in each direction.

PHOENIX- As more and more Arizona drivers get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle, the Arizona Department of Transportation is ensuring that Arizonans receive the maximum benefit from new federal funding sources by developing a federally required plan to implement a statewide network of EV charging stations.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation advises motorists to expect delays and plan ahead when Interstate 10 is closed in both directions between State Route 51 and SR 143 the weekend of June 3-6 for bridge work in conjunction with the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project. Crews will achieve a significant project milestone as they set the first girders over the I-10 for new bridges at 48th Street. They also plan to complete utility work. 

The Arizona Department of Transportation submitted a competitive grant bid that, if awarded, would allocate approximately $65 million to speed up already-planned improvement projects on US 93 between Wickenburg and Interstate 40. 

If the grant application is approved, these competitive funds would be added to state match funding and additional federal dollars, for a potential total of more than $200 million for the improvements on US 93, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration. 

HEBER-OVERGAARD, AZ – Starting this week, the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a project along a 22-mile stretch of State Route 260 west of Heber-Overgaard to improve roadway safety.

The improvement project includes increasing the shoulder-width on each side of the highway by 5 feet, making guardrail improvements, extending and improving drainage systems and making pavement repairs.

Work will begin near Heber-Overgaard at Shore Bridge Trail at milepost 305, and crews will move west toward Rim Road at milepost 282.

When it comes to the long-awaited Interstate 10 expansion between Chandler and Casa Grande, more money means more lanes. With that goal, the Arizona Department of Transportation has submitted a proposal to get additional federal dollars to combine with state funds for the project. 

PHOENIX – Temperatures are rapidly rising and schools are letting out, which means summer is here. And since summers in Arizona get really hot, the Arizona Department of Transportation wants to remind drivers to protect themselves and their vehicles this summer.

Governor Doug Ducey has proclaimed this week, May 23 - 27, as Heat Awareness Week. And for those traveling in and around Arizona this summer, ADOT has compiled some safety tips to help make sure you are prepared for soaring summer temperatures.