News

PHOENIX – When winter storms come through Arizona, major interstates like I-40 and I-17 are affected, impacting thousands of cars and trucks traveling on the highways. Fortunately, the Arizona Department of Transportation has a plan to help keep primary routes like interstates open during winter storms.

Annual closure of highway to Grand Canyon North Rim

PHOENIX – With the winter months rapidly approaching, the Arizona Department of Transportation will close State Route 67 between Jacob Lake (US 89A) and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park on Tuesday, 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.

PHOENIX – Motorists in Sierra Vista and Huachuca City will benefit from two traffic signal improvements that will enhance safety in the neighboring communities, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – Eggs...bread...milk...vehicle registration renewal. Yes, renewing your vehicle’s registration can now be completed during a trip to the grocery store, and many other locations, too.

Through CheckFreePay® from Fiserv, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is giving customers another convenient option to renew their vehicle’s registration.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is reminding the public that ADOT 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 – Two ramps on the east side of the Interstate 10/Houghton Road interchange in Tucson have reopened, restoring full access to drivers as the Arizona Department of Transportation makes progress on a project to rebuild the interchange.

Motorists are now able to use the eastbound on-ramp from Houghton Road to I-10 and the westbound exit ramp from I-10 to Houghton Road. The ramps closed in late August for reconstruction.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is hosting virtual public meetings this week to gather public input on the master plans for the Milton Road and US 180 corridors in Flagstaff.

The public meeting for the Milton Road Corridor Master Plan will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The public meeting for the US 180 Corridor Master Plan will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

PHOENIX — When snow begins to fall, trained Arizona Department of Transportation snowplow operators will work around the clock to keep the roads safe. Ever-evolving technology incorporated into the snowplows help give the operators a leg up during their 12-hour shifts.

PHOENIX – Economic impact and advocacy for airport funding are among the reasons Prescott Regional Airport’s Ernest A. Love Field is the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Airport of the Year for 2020.

The airport has won the title before in 2014.

PHOENIX – Drivers heading from Marana toward downtown Tucson will begin using the new eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 at Ruthrauff Road this weekend.

Beginning Friday evening, Nov. 13, crews with the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin moving eastbound traffic to the new eastbound lanes as part of a nearly two-year project to rebuild the I-10/Ruthrauff Road interchange. The traffic shift is expected to be completed the morning of Saturday, Nov. 14.

PHOENIX – With the winter months rapidly approaching, the Arizona Department of Transportation will close State Route 473 in the White Mountains area and State Route 366, also known as Swift Trail, heading up Mount Graham in southern Arizona for the winter on Monday. Nov. 16.

State Route 67 leading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon will close on Dec. 1, while other White Mountains area highways such as state route 261 and 273 will close by Dec. 31. These highways could close sooner depending on the weather.

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.