News

Why is it important for you to get around to responding to the 2020 Census? One of the many reasons is especially important here at the Arizona Department of Transportation: Census results affect how we and others help you get around.

At the Traffic Operations Center, ADOT and AZDPS work together to alert motorists to potential dangers, mobilize ADOT personnel and state troopers, and make sure the public knows what’s up via the Arizona Traveler Information site (az511.gov), the 511 phone system and social media.

PHOENIX – In partnership with Flagstaff, the Arizona Department of Transportation is starting a project this week to improve traffic flow and add capacity for bicycles and pedestrians where Fourth Street passes over Interstate 40.

The Fourth Street bridge, which is currently one lane in each direction, will be replaced with a wider bridge offering two lanes in each direction, a center turn lane and a protected path for bicycles and pedestrians on one side and a sidewalk on the other. 

PHOENIX – The photographers who captured the earliest images for Arizona Highways magazine were tasked only with documenting road conditions, yet their artistic flair meant the scenery overpowered many views of humble, unpaved byways.

A worldwide audience eventually marveled at the publication’s photos after it evolved from an engineering newsletter into a magazine featuring Arizona icons like the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and saguaro-studded landscapes.

PHOENIX –  Rockfall has closed State Route 88 just west of State Route 188, blocking access between Roosevelt Lake and Apache Lake, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The closure is at milepost 242, which is 2 miles west of Roosevelt.

There is no estimated reopening time; however, this is expected to be an extended closure while crews remove earth and rocks.

PHOENIX – For many drivers in the southwest Valley, flooding on the Salt River meant a bridge at 51st Avenue was their primary option to cross the river. But with the opening of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway three months ago, drivers have a new all-weather option with twice as many lanes to move traffic.

Heavier normal winter rain prompted Salt River Project releases from dams east of Phoenix recently, closing riverbed crossings at 67th and 91st avenues this week. There is no indication when those crossings will reopen.

PHOENIX – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that the deadline for air travelers to get a driver license or ID that complies with the REAL ID Act, including the AZ Travel ID, has been pushed back a full year to Oct. 1, 2021. 

With this delay and the need to reduce customer traffic at MVD locations during this public health situation, all current AZ Travel ID appointments have been canceled. Customers are urged to delay getting an AZ Travel ID until the coronavirus situation has passed to reduce customer traffic at MVD offices.

Beginning Wednesday, motorists on Arizona highways will see messages on Dynamic Message Signs encouraging them to stop the spread of COVID-19.

PHOENIX – Two sections of pavement along Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) are much smoother to drive on following an Arizona Department of Transportation improvement project.

Crews worked in recent weeks to remove the worn top layer of rubberized asphalt along most of the eastbound Loop 202 lanes between Interstate 10 and Loop 101 (Price Freeway). Specialized machines, which include rotating diamond-tipped blades, smoothed the remaining concrete base pavement in a process known as diamond grinding.

PHOENIX – Pavement repairs continue, as do highway construction and improvement projects. For long-haul drivers delivering essential goods, rest areas offer truck parking and facilities. Crews patrol Phoenix-area freeways to quickly clear crashes and help stranded motorists.

PHOENIX – A day after crews moved eastbound Interstate 10 traffic off a bridge over Ruthrauff Road in northwest Tucson, crews have begun demolishing the structure as part of an Arizona Department of Transportation interchange replacement project.

For the most current information about MVD services and appointments, visit azdot.gov/mvd.

*** Updated information December 2020 ***

PHOENIX – In order to safely and efficiently serve customers during the ongoing health situation, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division will limit office visits to only those customers who need essential services that must be done in person.

PHOENIX – Motorists who use Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Casa Grande should plan for overnight lane restrictions through this fall because of a pavement improvement project, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The project, scheduled to begin Sunday, March 22, will replace the pavement on both directions of I-10 between State Route 587 (Casa Blanca Road) at milepost 175 and SR 387 at milepost 185 near Casa Grande.

Keeping the state highway system in good repair and functioning well is a main focus of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s proposed construction program for the next five years.

PHOENIX – Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Arizona Department of Health Services, residents needing to conduct business with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division are encouraged to explore more than 30 available online services instead of office visits. 

Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Jenn Daniels, the mayor of Gilbert, and Richard Searle, a longtime Cochise County leader from the community of Pearce, to serve on the State Transportation Board.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has reopened 9 miles of State Route 88 between Tortilla Flat and the Fish Creek Hill scenic overlook to the east, but an unpaved stretch remains closed indefinitely between the overlook and the Apache Lake Marina turnoff due to extensive flood damage.

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation employee was killed Wednesday while setting up a sign alerting drivers to pavement repairs along Interstate 10 south of the Phoenix area.

Frank Dorizio, 55, was a member of ADOT’s Incident Response Unit, which helps keep Phoenix-area freeways safe by setting up traffic control, removing debris and assisting stranded motorists.

PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey and state, local and federal officials today broke ground on a $134 million project to improve mobility and safety on a 3.75-mile Nogales highway. The project, once completed, will help increase international trade coming through Nogales by linking the Mariposa Port of Entry and Interstate 19.