News

PHOENIX – Thousands entered, thousands voted and thousands of motorists on Arizona’s highways will see the results Friday of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Safety Message Contest.  

After tallying 8,000 votes for the 20 safety message finalists, the winning messages are:

THAT’S THE
TEMPERATURE – NOT
THE SPEED LIMIT 

PHOENIX – As the Interstate 11 environmental study progresses and new proposed corridor alternatives have taken shape, the Arizona Department of Transportation is once again looking to the public and agencies to get involved and comment on the work that’s been done over the past year.

Six public meetings have been scheduled in May as part of ADOT’s commitment to study and get input on a 280-mile-long corridor stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg.

PHOENIX – Like a lot of Arizona these days, the hillsides along State Route 87 south of Payson look mighty green after a wet winter. But that didn’t stop a brush fire from breaking out last week after a vehicle dragging chains threw sparks off the roadway, backing up traffic as first responders addressed the blaze.

When warmer temperatures turn all that ground cover brown, there will be even more reason for precautions to prevent brush fires along highways.

PHOENIX – An Arizona Department of Transportation project underway at the Twin Arrows interchange along Interstate 40 just east of Flagstaff will improve access for drivers.

The $4.5 million project between mileposts 218 and 220 will create new eastbound off- and on-ramps, and improve the bridge structure with new girders, wider abutments, a widened and repaved deck, and new safety barriers.

PHOENIX – With a 100-ton crane standing adjacent to Interstate 10 near 59th Avenue and an oversized drill rig parked nearby in the median, work is getting underway to construct piers supporting the flyover ramps for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway interchange at I-10 in the West Valley.

A series of closures of westbound I-10 between 51st and 67th avenues are needed during the next few weeks to move this equipment to begin work on structures that will carry traffic over I-10 when the South Mountain Freeway opens by late 2019.

PHOENIX – Slow down.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is sending that message to motorists traveling on a stretch of Pecos Road reconfigured for Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway construction.

ADOT and Connect 202 Partners, the developer building the South Mountain Freeway, have installed speed-monitoring equipment and signs showing motorists both how fast they are going and the reduced speed limit of 40 mph. The digital signs flash repeatedly when motorists travel more than 5 mph above the speed limit.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation continues to gather comments for its proposed Five-Year Construction Program by reaching out to all members of the public and communities statewide for their input on which projects should move forward over the next few years.

MARICOPA – While Lt. Mike Campbell hopes Maricopa Police Department officers never need to enter a home to remove a barricaded suspect, a partnership with the Arizona Department of Transportation has helped them prepare, just in case.

PHOENIX – Just in time for spring, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has added a new feature to its self-serve kiosks. For the first time, customers can use a ServiceArizona kiosk to print the annual off-highway vehicle (OHV) decal, eliminating the need to wait in line.

PHOENIX – After a long winter’s nap, three state highways to lakes in the White Mountains are scheduled to reopen Thursday, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

They are: State Route 261 between Eagar and Big Lake; State Route 273 between Sunrise Park and Big Lake; and State Route 473 between State Route 260 and Hawley Lake.

Another highway that closes for the winter, State Route 67, leading to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, is anticipated to reopen in mid-May.

Before heading off to enjoy the mountains, motorists should do the following:

PHOENIX – While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has scheduled a public hearing on an Arizona Department of Transportation permit application for Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway work in areas deemed waterways, the project remains on track for completion in late 2019.

ADOT’s project team will move forward with other construction while the May 9 hearing is pending.

PHOENIX – A Casa Grande resident who allegedly used stolen identities to fraudulently obtain benefits and settlement payments was arrested thanks to Arizona Department of Transportation detectives’ use of facial recognition training and technology.

The case began when Sharon Forrest, 51, applied for a driver license in early February. A review found that her photo closely resembled two other photos in ADOT’s database, and detectives with FBI training in facial recognition determined that all three photos were of Forrest.

PHOENIX – Give’em a brake, Arizona.

That’s the message the Arizona Department of Transportation is sending to drivers during National Work Zone Awareness Week. Through April 7, ADOT will join federal, state and local transportation organizations across the country to bring attention to the importance of being alert when driving in work zones.

PHOENIX – Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance crews remain busy with pavement repairs along northern Arizona highways following an active winter storm season.

During the week of April 3-7, crews are scheduled to add a new layer of asphalt to smooth rough sections I-40 in the Parks area between Flagstaff and Williams.

Asphalt overlays also will continue on State Route 89A in Oak Creek Canyon.

PHOENIX – Motorists using Pecos Road will see a new configuration starting early Monday, April 3, as construction continues on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

When the new Pecos Road alignment between 24th and 40th streets is open to traffic Monday morning, the current eastbound lanes will be widened to carry two directions of traffic. This will allow for freeway construction to proceed where the current westbound lanes are located.

Pecos Road motorists should be aware of the following changes when the new configuration opens at 5 a.m., Monday, April 3:

PHOENIX – With a goal of keeping drivers and first responders safe and traffic flowing, Arizona Department of Transportation personnel are now authorized to clear or order removal of vehicles that are involved in minor crashes.

PHOENIX – With work on a State Route 347 bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks in Maricopa set to begin later this year, the public will have another opportunity to review plans at a public meeting on Wednesday, April 5.

The $55 million project includes a bridge over the railroad tracks, a new intersection with Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and a new alignment just east of the current route.

PHOENIX – It’s goodbye to guesswork. If you need to take a road test to get your driver license, the number of available online appointments at Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division offices just went up more than 30 percent.

There are now more than 900 daily appointments available statewide every business day at the MVD offices that conduct road tests. Of those, more than 600 are available at locations in metro Phoenix and Tucson – the busiest areas for MVD.

PHOENIX – A late winter storm this week and more precipitation expected next week have Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance crews in patrol-and-patch mode as they address pavement-repair needs on Interstate 40 and Interstate 17 in the high country.

PHOENIX – Pecos Road traffic between 24th and 40th streets is scheduled to shift early Monday, April 3, to an alignment designed to maintain Ahwatukee Foothills traffic during Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway construction.

The current eastbound lanes of Pecos Road in this stretch will be widened and restriped over the next two weeks to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction. This shift creates a safe work zone for construction of the mainline freeway as the westbound lanes will be permanently removed because they are located within the freeway footprint.