News

LAKE HAVASU CITY – Earlier this summer, while the Arizona Department of Transportation installed new remote technology to 20 traffic signals along SR 95 in Lake Havasu City to improve traffic flow, crews also installed six new cameras that can be accessed on AZ511.gov and the AZ 511 app.

Starting from the southernmost camera in Lake Havasu City and heading north along SR 95, the new cameras are located at Acoma Boulevard, Smoketree Avenue, Palo Verde Boulevard, Kiowa Boulevard, Chenoweth Road and The Shops Boulevard.

CHINO VALLEY – Traffic along SR 89 in Chino Valley has been shifted at the intersection with Road 1 North as the Arizona Department of Transportation makes progress to improve traffic flow.

Since early July, crews have been working installing a new right turn lane on northbound SR 89 to eastbound Road 1 North, laying detection sensors for a new traffic signal, and adding left turn lanes in each direction on Road 1 North. 

TUCSON - In an unprecedented push to remove roadside garbage and debris, 42 Arizona Department of Transportation employees from southern Arizona were recently able to pick up 11,000 pounds of trash and bulk items.

WILLCOX – Motorists on both directions of Interstate 10 to the west of Willcox should expect a short detour the weekend of Aug. 27-30 while work crews pour a new concrete surface as part of a bridge deck replacement project, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Both directions of I-10 will close at Exit 336, which will require drivers to detour onto the exit and entrance ramps, from 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27, to 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 30.

PHOENIX – Changes to state law mean that drivers who purchase alternative fuel vehicles will pay the same vehicle license tax (VLT) rate as other drivers by 2023. The change in VLT rates is phased-in, starting Jan. 1, 2022. 

The VLT is paid during vehicle registration and is assessed in place of a personal property tax often charged in other states. The VLT funds transportation infrastructure in Arizona, including highways, bridges and local roads, and contributes to the general funds of cities/towns and counties.

PHOENIX – While all-terrain vehicles are a popular way to explore off-road areas, the Arizona Department of Transportation reminds ATV riders it is illegal and unsafe to drive these vehicles along state roadways.

The shoulders of state highways are only to be used only for emergencies, not for joyrides.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a final 55-mile North-South Corridor through Pinal County as part of the Final Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD), which was released today. The Tier 1 EIS identifies the selected corridor, which stretches from US 60 in Apache Junction to Interstate 10 in Eloy.

PHOENIX – Motorists on both directions of Interstate 10 to the west of Willcox should expect a short detour the weekend of Aug. 20-23 while work crews pour a new concrete surface as part of a bridge deck replacement project, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Both directions of I-10 will close at Exit 336, which will require drivers to detour onto the exit and entrance ramps, from 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, to 6 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23.

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.

The ADOT DBE and Small Business Transportation EXPO, which will be held virtually August 18th & 19th from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., will allow attendees to learn about project opportunities, visit virtual exhibit booths featuring a live video/chat function, and network with industry professionals and business owners.

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.