News

PHOENIX – With social distancing essential during the current public health situation, the Arizona Department of Transportation has turned to virtual gatherings to engage members of the public on highway projects and studies that affect them.

These virtual tools that have been so useful of late will provide new ways for ADOT to conduct public engagement into the future. 

The current public health situation has transformed how the Arizona Department of Transportation educates and supports disadvantaged and small businesses seeking federally assisted contracts, with virtual sessions replacing traditional meetings.

PHOENIX – In addition to disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and other essentials to protect against COVID-19, those taking to state highways these days need to prepare themselves, their vehicles and their passengers in case they become stranded in extreme heat. 

At a minimum, that means taking extra drinking water for everyone, including pets, and a fully charged cellphone. Also think about having an umbrella for shade. 

It’s always important to be ready for a breakdown, flat tire or some other reason for delay, but that need is even more critical in extreme heat. 

PHOENIX – Truck drivers looking for places to rest can now find the total number of truck parking spaces at any of Arizona’s rest areas on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Arizona Traveler Information 511 website.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has extended through the end of June the temporary higher weight limits for commercial trucks hauling critical supplies and goods during the current public health situation.

PHOENIX – To continue helping members of disadvantaged groups during the current public health situation, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Construction Academy is allowing participation through video conferencing and online instruction. 

Most of those taking part in a recently completed two-week Construction Academy, which prepares people for careers in highway construction, took advantage of these virtual options. A free two-week session scheduled to start Monday, June 1, in Tucson, with spaces still available as of Wednesday, will have online options as well. 

PHOENIX – A day of location scouting, some astronomical knowledge and a compass were just what John Vermette needed for the perfect shot of Arizona’s scenic beauty: the Milky Way arching over Monument Valley.

Now that image will grace the pages of Arizona Highways magazine and ArizonaHighways.com as grand-prize winner of the magazine’s 2020 photography contest. Vermette’s photo was among 3,950 that amateur and professional photographers entered in the magazine’s 12th annual contest.

PHOENIX – Colossal Cave/Wentworth Road will close at Interstate 10 near Vail for about two months starting the night of Wednesday, May 27, for a bridge deck replacement project.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is taking advantage of lighter traffic during the current public health situation to complete the project ahead of schedule by replacing the entire deck at once rather than half at time. This approach allows major work on the project, which involves the bridge over eastbound I-10, to be completed in about two months rather than five months.

PHOENIX – Over the weekend, State Route 87 was closed for a couple of hours south of Payson when a brush fire caused by a person broke out along the roadway. While the exact cause isn’t known yet, the 5.5-acre Oak Fire demonstrates why motorists should secure tow chains, properly inflate tires, check brakes and take other steps to reduce the risk of starting a wildfire.

Just one spark can cause all kinds of problems.

In addition to putting lives and property at risk, fires that spread quickly in dry brush can lead to highway closures and inconvenience for motorists.

PHOENIX – In order to provide the most current information on the upcoming State Route 69 widening project between Prescott Lake Parkway and Frontier Village, the Arizona Department of Transportation has postponed a virtual public meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 20.

With a revised tentative Five-Year Construction Program before the State Transportation Board for their consideration and approval, ADOT decided to postpone the public information meeting until after June, when the board will approve a final version of the Five-Year Program.

PHOENIX – State Route 67 between Jacob Lake and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park reopened Friday, May 15, after its annual winter closure, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

For information on when visitors will be able to access the North Rim, please visit the Grand Canyon National Park website at nps.gov/grca.

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation project that will speed up international commerce, boost the economy and make Nogales traffic safer has begun near Arizona’s southern border.

To make way for improvements to State Route 189 (Mariposa Road) in Nogales, the 3.75-mile road that connects the international border with Interstate 19, crews have been clearing brush from the path of the first of two flyover ramps that will connect northbound SR 189 with northbound I-19. Construction is scheduled to start in earnest next week and take about 18 months.   

PHOENIX - Even though ADOT Motor Vehicle Division offices are serving a limited number of customers by appointment only due to the public health situation, customers aren’t limited in their ability to offer the gift of being an organ, eye or tissue donor. 

Since 2017, organ donation has been an option for online customers renewing their vehicle registration, a service that attracts about 250,000 customers a month. The online option of signing up to be a donor after applying for a driver’s license or ID dates back even longer.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking input on a project to build a freeway-to-freeway interchange between US 93 and Interstate 40 in west Kingman by hosting the agency’s first project-level virtual call-in public hearing.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has received a $36.2 million grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration to help rural, tribal and intercity bus operators that have seen drops in ridership and revenues due to the current public health situation.

The funds, provided under the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, are available to 22 rural transit providers for operating expenses and other pressing needs.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is starting a project to reconstruct the St. Anselm Road bridge over Interstate 40 at milepost 348 between US 191 and the New Mexico state line in the community of Houck.

The bridge, located on the Navajo Nation, will be closed for the duration of the project. Drivers should also expect overnight closures of I-40 during portions of  the project, with traffic using the on- and off-ramps at the St. Anselm Road interchange to exit and re-enter the freeway. 

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has been granted environmental approval to continue moving forward with plans to improve an 11-mile section of Interstate 10  that includes the Broadway Curve.

PHOENIX – With Motor Vehicle Division offices currently limited to essential services that require in-person visits by appointment, the Arizona Department of Transportation strongly recommends that customers try going online, visiting Authorized Third Party offices or using the U.S. mail before seeking office appointments.

Due to the current public health situation, MVD offices cannot accept walk-in customers. 

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has extended higher weight limits for commercial trucks hauling critical supplies and goods that Arizona communities are relying on during the current public health situation.

Coordinating with Governor Ducey, ADOT in early April raised the gross weight limit for commercial vehicles to 90,000 pounds without the need for an overweight permit, up from the normal 80,000 pounds. That temporary measure, set to expire on April 30, has now been extended to the end of May.

PHOENIX – A section of Interstate 17 south of downtown Phoenix will be restricted starting this weekend through fall 2021 for a freeway bridge replacement project.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is set to begin a $13.5 million project to improve the I-17 bridge over Central Avenue.

The existing bridge, which first opened to traffic in 1962, will be replaced by a modern structure with increased clearance for commercial trucks traveling beneath it as well as Valley Metro's future Central Avenue light rail line.