News

PHOENIX ‒ Cases of chilled bottled water, protective lightweight clothing, sun visors and shaded tent areas, coupled with mandatory training on dealing with extreme heat, are just some of the ways crews building the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway are prepared for temperatures forecast to surge beyond 110.

PHOENIX – Drivers using Interstate 10 through west Phoenix should plan ahead to avoid two closures of the westbound lanes at 59th Avenue for initial work to build a flyover bridge that will eventually connect to the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – A $3.7 million project to construct a first-in-the-nation thermal detection system, which will detect wrong-way vehicles and alert the other drivers and law enforcement of them on Interstate 17, was approved Friday afternoon by the State Transportation Board.

Last week, Governor Doug Ducey instructed the Arizona Department of Transportation to accelerate the construction of this system in light of recent wrong-way crashes, which resulted in Friday’s vote.

PHOENIX – Coming soon: Spectacular sunsets and brief heat relief from monsoon moisture.

Also coming soon: Low- or no-visibility on roadways caused by dust storms.

Monsoon season is returning to Arizona and during Monsoon Awareness Week, June 12-16, the Arizona Department of Transportation is reminding drivers how to stay safe on roadways when dust storms arrive.

PHOENIX – Less than six months after major construction began on the state’s largest single highway project ever, progress on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway has been swift.

PHOENIX – While their primary duty is manning ports of entry to make sure that commercial vehicles operate safely and legally on highways, officers with the Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement and Compliance Division coordinate with local authorities when they come across criminal activity.

Case in point: two marijuana seizures this year from vehicles passing through the Topock Port of Entry, on Interstate 40 near the California line.

CAMP VERDE – Visitors and residents can better navigate a busy commercial area in Camp Verde just east of Interstate 17 thanks to a new roundabout installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The revamped intersection of State Route 260 and Industrial Drive, an area where many travelers pull over for gasoline, a bite to eat or a cup of coffee, will keep traffic flowing smoothly in all directions, as well as in and out of businesses.

PHOENIX – Mild summer weather that makes Arizona’s high country a magnet for travelers also allows the Arizona Department of Transportation to begin work on paving projects, including one that will create a smoother ride along 12 miles of Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff.

PHOENIX – With overhanging rock removed from a mountainside along State Route 77 south of Globe, the Arizona Department of Transportation is lifting all restrictions on a seven-mile stretch after six months of blasting and follow-up work.

The safety project, which began last fall, removed boulders and other rock formations from a limestone cliff near Dripping Springs, between mileposts 154 and 161 about 10 miles south of Globe.

Drivers experienced regularly scheduled weekday closures and lane restrictions to allow for this work, which ended Friday, June 2.

TUCSON – State and federal officials want to know what you think about a proposed Sonoran Corridor connecting Interstate 10 and Interstate 19 south of Tucson International Airport as they begin an anticipated three-year environmental study of the idea.

Next week, officials from the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration will host two public meetings to gather public input. The meetings are scheduled for:

PHOENIX – Having insurance for your car, truck or other motor vehicle isn’t just a wise idea, it’s the law. Now the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has added two options to help customers report their insurance information online at ServiceArizona.com.

PHOENIX – “Flagstaff, Arizona, don’t forget Winona… Kingman…” Arizona figures prominently in the lyrics to the iconic pop song celebrating the highway known as the “Mother Road.” Now Arizona gets even more attention because the new Route 66 specialty license plate has been named the Best New License Plate in the U.S.

The honor, which will be formally recognized at a 1:30 p.m. ceremony Thursday, May 25, at the northwest corner of Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in Phoenix, comes from the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (ALPCA).

PHOENIX – Building a freeway requires moving a lot of dirt, particularly for the roadway surface, and to build bridge and wall foundations, embankments and connecting ramps.

For the 22-mile Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the largest-ever highway project in Arizona, crews will haul and compact about 10 million cubic yards of earth, the equivalent of more than 800,000 truckloads and enough to fill University of Phoenix Stadium 13 times.

TUCSON – The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have begun a three-year environmental study of potential routes for the proposed Sonoran Corridor, which would connect Interstate 19 to Interstate 10 south of Tucson International Airport.

PHOENIX – Selling your car to the guy down the street, online or to a family member is a concept that probably goes back as far as Henry Ford himself. But the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division reminds you that reporting a private sale makes good sense and may keep you out of court.

Filling out a Sold Notice is simple and there is no fee. It should be completed within 10 calendar days of selling your vehicle and it can be done anytime online at ServiceArizona.com.

PHOENIX – Much-needed traffic relief is in store for motorists in the southwest Valley when the Arizona Department of Transportation completes Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway bridges over the Salt River at 59th Avenue.

PHOENIX – Working overnight along stretches of Phoenix-area freeways, Arizona Department of Transportation crews are moving closer to completing installation of new in-pavement sensors that monitor traffic flow.

You can expect overnight closures along Interstate 17 over the next several weeks as crews work to complete the project by this summer.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public input on proposed goals for the percentage value of federal-aid contract dollars won by firms certified for its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.

PHOENIX – The rubberized asphalt used by the Arizona Department of Transportation on many highway paving projects not only creates a smooth ride for drivers, it also provides a second life for the rubber from thousands of old, worn tires that might otherwise be dumped in landfills.

Such is the case with the ongoing project to put a fresh layer of rubberized asphalt on a busy stretch of Interstate 17 in Phoenix. Rubber from about 75,000 tires will be used in the layer of asphalt being added to 11 miles of I-17 between Dunlap and 19th avenues in Phoenix.

YUMA – A binational initiative to increase commerce and tourism in southwestern Arizona and the neighboring region in Mexico, stemming from a collaboration involving border communities and state entities including the Arizona Department of Transportation, has been honored for excellence in economic development.