News

PHOENIX – Arizona sometimes likes to do things differently – like having a Motor Vehicle Division instead of a Department of Motor Vehicles.

But what might seem like a simple name difference can lead the unsuspecting to unauthorized websites and scams when they’re simply searching for ways to do business online with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.

That’s because many people may reflexively do a web search for the “Arizona DMV” or something similar, and that can lead them to websites that aren’t affiliated with the MVD.

TUCSON – Twenty-seven members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe earned their certification to work as flaggers on tribal construction projects through a free Construction Academy sponsored by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

After completing a series of weekend courses, participants in the Pascua Yaqui Reservation Tribal Employment Rights Organization Construction Academy are now qualified to work on road projects on the reservation, located in the southwest Tucson area.

PHOENIX – State Route 366 has reopened on Mount Graham in southeastern Arizona after a six-week closure due to the danger of flooding and debris flows after the Frye Fire, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The road, also known as Swift Trail, connects with US 191 about 20 miles south of Safford. It had been closed at Ladybug Saddle near milepost 131, but as of Thursday, Sept. 14, it’s open again to Columbine at milepost 143.

PHOENIX – After hurricanes that caused widespread flooding in Texas and Florida, Arizonans in the market for used cars have even more reason to pay close attention to a vehicle’s condition and history, especially in private sales.

As happened after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, vehicles damaged by floodwater are likely to find their way to Arizona and other states and offered to unsuspecting buyers.

If a vehicle is flood-damaged, the title should say “salvage” or “flood damage.” But scammers can and do fraudulently remove flood history from vehicle titles.

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation safety training program for commercial vehicle drivers using international ports of entry is proving so popular with trucking companies and government officials in Mexico that ADOT has doubled the number of training sessions planned for this fall.

PHOENIX – Thermal cameras now being tested for detecting wrong-way vehicles on freeway off-ramps in the Phoenix area successfully alerted authorities to two recent overnight incidents along Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) in the northwest Valley.

PHOENIX – With strong monsoon storms forecast in much of Arizona going into the weekend, be ready to pull aside and wait out extreme weather.

PHOENIX – The Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, already the largest single highway project in Arizona history, now has the longest bridge girders of their type in the state.

As long as a 17-story building and each weighing as much as 14 elephants, 94 extra-long single span girders have already been placed on two bridge structures (northbound and southbound) that will carry traffic over the Salt River when the South Mountain Freeway opens by late 2019.

PHOENIX – Pecos Road traffic between 17th Avenue and 24th Street in the Ahwatukee Foothills will be briefly detoured to Chandler Boulevard when controlled rock blasting for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project begins Tuesday, Sept. 12.

YUMA – The Yuma area’s first modern roundabout for a freeway interchange has opened at the Giss Parkway ramps connecting with Interstate 8.

Some work remains on the $2.5 million project to replace a T intersection for the on- and off-ramps from westbound I-8, the last exit before drivers reach the Colorado River. The project also includes improved lighting, signage and drainage, as well as accommodations for cyclists.

Work began in March and will be completed this fall.

MARICOPA – Cameras the Arizona Department of Transportation uses to monitor State Route 347 traffic between the city of Maricopa and Interstate 10 now allow drivers to view conditions themselves via az511.gov.

Nine high-definition cameras mounted on traffic signals are available through the Arizona Traveler Information site, showing intersections such as Riggs and Casa Blanca roads and extending as far south as Farrell Road.

PHOENIX – As Arizona residents prepare for travel during Labor Day weekend, Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski encourages motorists to avoid distracted driving by utilizing the state's “Safe Phone Zones” sponsored by GEICO.

Fourteen ADOT rest areas were designated as “Safe Phone Zones” in 2014. These locations provide a place where drivers can safely and conveniently use their phones and other mobile devices for calling, texting, navigating and accessing mobile apps.

MARANA – Six months in, signs of progress abound at an Arizona Department of Transportation project creating a modern traffic interchange at Ina Road and Interstate 10 and more efficient traffic flow through a growing area.

Crews recently poured concrete to create a deck for the first of two new bridges carrying Ina Road over the Santa Cruz River just west of I-10.

PHOENIX – Southern Arizona residents and business operators are invited to ask questions and offer comments about options for improving the Interstate 19 east frontage road between Rio Rico and Ruby Road at a public meeting on Sept. 13.

The event will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Calabasas Middle School, 131 Camino Maricopa in Rio Rico. The meeting will be an open house format with a presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Community input will help determine which alternative will be selected for design and construction of improvements on the east frontage road.

PHOENIX ‒ The Arizona Department of Transportation is helping urgently needed equipment reach Texas as quickly as possible by waiving fees and expediting permits so commercial vehicles hauling oversize loads can get there faster.

The effort began over the weekend so trucks hauling eight emergency generators could depart a Caterpillar facility in Phoenix for Fort Hood, Texas, about 200 miles northwest of Houston. The generators will provide power for emergency crews responding to areas flooded and damaged by Hurricane Harvey.

PHOENIX – Lane restrictions that have been in place for urgently needed repairs along State Route 87 south of Payson are being temporarily lifted for the busy Labor Day travel period.

One lane has been closed in each direction between mileposts 223 and 226 so the Arizona Department of Transportation can repair the roadway and drainage systems and stabilize the terrain after sensors detected slight ground movement near Slate Creek, about 25 miles south of Payson.

PHOENIX – Opening a new customer service location usually means cutting a ribbon at the door, but that can’t happen at the newest Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices because they’re located entirely in cyberspace.

An analysis of MVD customer traffic for the 2017 fiscal year shows that the upsurge in online usage at ServiceArizona.com and its associated kiosks is essentially the same amount of traffic experienced at two large urban “brick and mortar” MVD offices.

PHOENIX – A pavement-improvement project along Interstate 10 between the Gila River Bridge and State Route 587 (Casa Blanca Road) will require overnight lane restrictions this week (Aug. 28-Sept. 1), according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. No restrictions will be scheduled over the Labor Day holiday weekend beginning Friday afternoon.

Drivers should allow extra travel time and consider alternate routes if possible while the following restrictions are in place:

PHOENIX – Work begins this week on a project to renovate the junction of State Route 79 and SR 79B south of Florence, providing a safer intersection for travelers in central Pinal County.

Arizona Department of Transportation crews will begin work Monday, Aug. 28. The work, which is designed to improve safety, is expected to continue through November.

SR 79, currently divided into separate northbound and southbound roadways, will be combined into a single road carrying traffic both north and south. The existing one-way southbound lane will be closed and removed.

PHOENIX – Motorists should drive with caution and expect delays of up to 20 minutes as the Arizona Department of Transportation begins repairs Monday, Aug. 28, to a flood-damaged stretch of State Route 88 (Apache Trail) between Apache Junction and the area east of Canyon Lake.

Work on the two-month project will occur between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays between mileposts 196 and 220. The highway will be narrowed to one lane in half-mile increments, with a pilot vehicle guiding drivers through the work zone.

No work is scheduled over Labor Day weekend.