News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is accelerating a project to widen and improve the Interstate 17 bridge over McConnell Drive entering Flagstaff by closing McConnell Drive until early May, followed by other restrictions through mid-August.

McConnell Drive is scheduled to be closed around the clock from Monday, April 13, through Friday, May 1. Beginning Saturday, May 2, McConnell Drive is scheduled to be closed between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily through Sunday, May 31, while crews work on the next phase of the project. 

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has reallocated more than 2,600 N95 respirator masks to two state-operated assisted care facilities to help address a need for personal protective equipment during the current health situation.

ADOT delivered 1,440 masks to the Arizona State Veteran Home in Phoenix and 1,200 masks to the Arizona Pioneers’ Home in Prescott following a call for the protective gear from the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs and Governor Doug Ducey.

PHOENIX – Governor Ducey and the Arizona Department of Transportation today took action to help ensure critical supplies and goods Arizonans rely on can be transported more easily by temporarily waiving certain commercial vehicles regulations.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has temporarily reopened two long-shuttered northern Arizona rest areas to support truckers hauling essentials during the current public health situation.

The Parks Rest Area along Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff (milepost 182) and the Christensen Rest Area on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff (milepost 324) offer parking, portable toilets and handwashing stations exclusively for commercial vehicle drivers.

PHOENIX – Motorists who use Interstate 10 near Prince Road in northwest Tucson should plan for about one month of overnight lane restrictions because of a pavement maintenance project, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. 

The project will begin Sunday, April 5, as crews seal concrete pavement joints on both directions of I-10. Work is scheduled Sundays through Thursdays, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

PHOENIX – Drivers traveling west on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway may experience delays from Thursday night through Monday morning as Arizona Department of Transportation crews continue paving in the mountain pass area.

The left two lanes of westbound Loop 202 will be closed between 17th Avenue and Estrella Drive from 10 p.m. Thursday, April 2, until 10 p.m. Friday, April 3. The right three lanes will then be closed in the same area until 5 a.m. Monday, April 6. In addition, the westbound on- and off-ramps at Vee Quiva Way will be closed.

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.