News

PHOENIX – As the Arizona Department of Transportation fosters an environment of continuous improvement and waste reduction, one idea has created savings in trips to equipment shops and the cost of tire repairs: the pokey picker upper.

What is a “pokey picker upper?” Simply put, it’s a magnet that is attached to the front of an ADOT maintenance truck that hovers just above the ground collecting metal pieces and shards along the highway shoulders.

PRESCOTT – A new traffic signal along State Route 69 near Cordes Junction will be activated this week after the Arizona Department of Transportation finishes up a project to improve safety at the intersection with Spring Lane.

Those finishing touches require lane restrictions on SR 69 between mileposts 264 and 265 Tuesday, Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Drivers should expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

The new traffic signal is set to be activated by the morning of Friday, Aug. 20.

FLAGSTAFF – As the Arizona Department of Transportation continues to repave 10 miles of I-40 from I-17 to Walnut Canyon Road, drivers should plan for lane restrictions through the fall.

Beginning Friday, Aug. 13, I-40 will be narrowed to one lane in both directions around the clock between Country Club Drive and Walnut Canyon Road until late October.

I-40 will also be narrowed to one lane in both directions overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. between Country Club Drive and I-17 beginning Friday, Aug. 13, through late October.

US 60 has reopened between Superior and Miami after maintenance crews with the Arizona Department of Transportation repaired extensive flood damage that forced the highway to close early Wednesday.

KINGMAN – In order to improve safety along State Route 68 in Golden Valley near Kingman, the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a project to install a raised median with eight new access points between Verde and Bacobi roads beginning Monday, Aug. 16.

Work will occur overnight from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday evenings through Friday mornings. At least one lane of travel will remain open in each direction; however, drivers should prepare for delays of up to 15 minutes. Business access will be maintained at all times during construction.

PHOENIX – Drivers should plan for an extended closure of US 60 between Superior and Miami as the Arizona Department of Transportation works to repair flood damage along the highway.

The closure is between mileposts 226 at State Route 177 in Superior and milepost 243 at the west side of Miami, with motorists detoured onto SR 77 and SR 177 through Winkelman. The roughly 70-mile detour includes a 10 percent grade and will significantly increase travel time.

PHOENIX – For the first time, three Arizona specialty license plates each generated more than $1 million in annual revenue.

That’s great news as Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division specialty license plates raise money for charities in Arizona. In Fiscal Year 2021, which ran July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, specialty plates for Veterans, First Responders and the Arizona Cardinals each topped more than $1 million in revenue.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation and partner agencies will hold a free, virtual two-day event in August to offer tips and tools for owners of small businesses and companies qualifying for the agency’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.

FLAGSTAFF – Added parking restrictions are planned later this week for the Meteor Crater Rest Area on Interstate 40 east of Flagstaff. The facility has been open to commercial truck parking while under renovation since the beginning of the year, but beginning Sunday, Aug. 15, the parking lot will close to all vehicles to allow for further improvements.

As part of the ongoing project to renovate the rest area, located at milepost 235, crews will close the parking lot in order to replace the pavement and restripe the parking spaces. The parking lot will be closed until the fall.

PHOENIX – After wandering across both directions of Interstate 40 on foot and into the eastbound facility of the Topock Port of Entry this past spring, an impaired commercial driver was taken into custody after an ADOT Enforcement and Compliance officer recognized the signs and symptoms of impairment thanks to DUI training.

PHOENIX – With school buses prowling through neighborhoods again as school resumes, drivers should expect to wait when the bus’s stop sign arm is extended while children are boarding and exiting the bus. However, about 13,000 motorists each year are reported by Arizona school bus drivers for not stopping as required.

A new streamlined process is allowing the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division to send warning letters more quickly to owners of vehicles that were reported as not stopping for the school bus stop sign.

WILLCOX – The Arizona Department of Transportation and the city of Willcox are studying several potential traffic circulation changes in the downtown area that would reduce the impact of freight traffic while improving safety.

The study includes a community survey that is being conducted through Tuesday, Aug. 31, allowing the public to share feedback on five options under consideration.

BISBEE – Drivers on State Route 80 northwest of Bisbee should plan for delays of up to 15 minutes starting in mid-August as the Arizona Department of Transportation begins a $3.5 million rockfall mitigation project.

The project will involve excavating rock from slopes along SR 80, which will create a wider “clear zone'' on both sides of the highway to decrease the risk of debris landing on the roadway. This safety improvement will take place near the intersection of SR 90 near Pintek Road, at milepost 334.

PHOENIX – With noticeable reductions in traffic volume during parts of 2020 due to the pandemic, the total number of crashes on all Arizona roadways fell sharply. Despite that, the number of traffic fatalities rose to their highest levels in 12 years, according to the most recent Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report published Thursday, July 29.

PHOENIX – A play on words from a Tom Cochrane song and a safety message written by a Phoenix area law enforcement officer are the winners in the 2021 ADOT Safety Message Contest.  

More than 6,000 people voted for the safety message they wanted to see on the overhead message boards. The top two safety messages will be displayed on overhead message boards July 29-30.

MISS YOUR EXIT?
IT'S OKAY
WE MADE MORE AHEAD

FLAGSTAFF – Progress on replacing the Interstate 40 bridges over Business 40 in west Flagstaff has reached a milestone as reconstruction of the inside lanes on each bridge is complete. 

Since the project’s start in March, drivers have been using the right lanes in each direction to pass through the work zone. Now, drivers on I-40 eastbound have been shifted to the left lanes so crews can begin the next phase of reconstructing the outside lanes. The traffic shift for westbound will occur Thursday night.

NOGALES – Motorists on Interstate 19 and Ruby Road in Rio Rico should expect a series of closures and restrictions in the area from the evening of Thursday, July 19, to Sunday evening, Aug. 1, as part of a project to replace the Ruby Road bridge deck.

The restrictions are needed so work crews can pour concrete on the south half of the Ruby Road bridge deck above I-19. While one lane of Ruby Road will remain open for most of the three-day event, drivers should prepare for a full closure one evening. The following restrictions are scheduled:

GLOBE – US 60 will close between Miami and Superior the night of Wednesday, July 28, as crews pour a portion of the concrete deck on the new Pinto Creek Bridge.

The highway will close to all traffic between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. as crews work in close proximity to the existing bridge. While US 60 is scheduled to reopen at 4 a.m. Thursday, July 29, drivers should be prepared for lane restrictions and flaggers directing traffic if work is necessary past that time.

PHOENIX – As monsoon season brings needed rain across the state and Arizonans revel in the precipitation, prospective buyers of used cars should pay close attention to the condition of any vehicle that piques their interest.

TUCSON – A widespread power outage has forced the Green Valley Motor Vehicle Division office to be closed on Friday.

Customers who need to complete MVD services during the closure can go online at azmvdnow.gov or servicearizona.com; visit another MVD or Authorized Third Party office location; or call MVD at 602-255-0072.