News

PHOENIX – Snake handlers. Rodeo bullfighters. High-rise window cleaners. Electrical line techs who rappel from helicopters. These are the stars of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s distracted driving public awareness campaign, “Distracted Drivers Terrify Me.”

This isn’t a random collection of people. No, these professionals were chosen specifically because they perform jobs that many find full of danger, like wrangling venomous snakes, one-ton charging bulls and vertigo-inducing heights. But what scares these fearless people?

PHOENIX – To continue assisting members of disadvantaged groups during the current public health situation, the Arizona Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual conference in December to help owners of small businesses become more competitive within the highway industry. 

PHOENIX – New realities mean finding new ways to train emergency responders.

A year ago, during National Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Week, hundreds of emergency responders gathered at locations across Arizona to take a TIM training course and learn how to keep themselves and motorists safe when responding to roadway incidents.

In 2020, TIM Week is different.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin work to replace the Rio de Flag bridge along Historic Route 66 near Flagstaff City Hall. The work will involve the use of precast bridge components to significantly reduce the amount of traffic restrictions during the project. 

PHOENIX - The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration will hold an in-person public hearing Tuesday, Dec. 1, and a virtual public engagement event Dec. 3, to provide information on a study that would connect Interstate 19 and Interstate 10 south of Tucson.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has selected an apparent preferred proposer for the Interstate 10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project, the state’s first major urban freeway reconstruction project.

PHOENIX – The final major pieces of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway - a 6-mile shared-use path and an interchange at 32nd Street added at the request of area residents - are now open.

The shared-use path, which runs from 40th Street on the east to 17th Avenue on the west, is designed to provide a place for people to exercise outdoors along the former Pecos Road alignment.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has issued its 2020 report on sustainability in transportation. 

The agency is committed to using resources more efficiently in order to maintain and operate a robust, economically beneficial transportation network. Through continuous improvement practices, ADOT strategically invests resources to achieve the highest possible return. 

Arizona Highways, the world-renowned magazine published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, has earned more recognition for its excellence in words, pictures and design.

In its annual awards program, the International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) awarded Arizona Highways a total of 19 honors in categories including essay writing, illustration, photography and art direction. The magazine also received an Award of Merit for its February 2019 feature celebrating the 100th anniversary of the designation of Grand Canyon as a national park.

PHOENIX – Drivers on State Route 189 in Nogales should plan for possible delays between Frank Reed Road and Interstate 19 as work crews shift traffic to continue work on flyover ramps connecting SR 189 and I-19.

Lane closures will alternate over the next several months while crews continue work on the ramps, which will remove delays for commercial trucks carrying international commerce and improve safety in the area of Nogales High School.

PHOENIX – More in-office visits can now be scheduled online for Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division customers.

Earlier this month, MVD made it possible for customers to go online and schedule in-office appointments for instruction permits, vehicle road tests and motorcycle road tests. Customers can schedule appointments online at AZMVDNow.gov.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will hold an additional public hearing for the revised 2021-2025 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program on Friday, Oct. 16 during the monthly State Transportation Board meeting.

The hearing is open to anyone who wishes to address the board with his or her comments about what should be included in the 2021-2025 Five-Year Program. The public hearing and board meeting will be held online. Meeting details can be found at aztransportationboard.gov. 

PHOENIX – The new Fourth Street bridge passing over Interstate 40 in Flagstaff is now complete, providing improved safety and traffic flow in the area.

PHOENIX – There are still opportunities for you to cast daily votes in a national contest to recognize one of Arizona's new freeways and fund student scholarships.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is one of 12 finalists for an award that would celebrate ADOT’s innovations on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway that saved three years of construction time and $100 million in construction costs. If the freeway wins, ADOT will win a $10,000 prize that will be used to fund scholarships for 10 members of the Gila River Indian Community.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has completed the replacement of guardrail along more than 11 miles of SR 87 northbound after it was damaged in the Bush Fire this summer.

With the new guardrail in place, lane restrictions along northbound SR 87 toward Payson have been removed. Crews had been gradually reducing the lane restriction as sections of guardrail were replaced.

ADOT secured federal emergency relief funds to cover the $2 million cost of repaired guardrail and the right-of-way fence.

PHOENIX – According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are an average of 35,000 to 40,000 traffic fatalities in the United States every year. In Arizona, there have been 725 traffic fatalities this year through the end of September.

PHOENIX – Northbound Interstate 15 will be narrowed to one lane over Bridge No. 7 in the Virgin River Gorge for the next several weeks so the Arizona Department of Transportation can repair damage from an August crash involving a semi-truck.

Beginning at 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, northbound I-15 will be narrowed to one lane at milepost 22. Drivers traveling between Mesquite, Nevada and St. George, Utah should expect delays and allow extra travel time. Southbound I-15 traffic will not be affected by the work.

PHOENIX – It’s only been a year since its inception, but ADOT’s Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm has proved its worth in helping decrease crashes, aid drivers and improve traffic flow on Valley freeways.

Since hitting the road in October 2019, the 14-member unit, part of ADOT’s Traffic Systems Management and Operations Division, has responded to more than 10,400 crashes, disabled vehicles, debris or other incidents in the Phoenix metro area.

PHOENIX – Fearless people are all around us. Handlers of venomous snakes. Rodeo bullfighters. Electrical workers who do repairs from the sky. But there’s one thing that terrifies these brave souls: distracted drivers.

“Distracted driving is terrifying,” Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski said. “Seeing a driver in the car next to you, looking down at their phone while driving and behaving like a drunk driver – swerving and driving too slow or too fast – no one wants to encounter that driver and it has to stop.”

PHOENIX – Drivers on US 70 west of Safford should expect delays and alternating lane closures starting Monday, Oct. 5, for a pavement preservation project between the communities of Pima and Bylas, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The project includes a chip seal and rumble strips along the center of the roadway and the shoulders.

Work is scheduled between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays and is expected for about two months. Motorists should expect delays of 15 minutes, with longer delays possible during peak traffic hours.