News

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.

PHOENIX – At the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway’s future interchange at 17th Avenue, patterned walls being assembled in Lego-like fashion offer a glimpse of a construction technique that’s essential to completing the project by late 2019.

These mechanically stabilized earth walls, commonly referred to as MSE walls, are concrete panels as large as 5-by-10 feet that fit into place. They are part of a system, used on Arizona Department of Transportation projects since the 1970s, using the walls and steel reinforcing straps to construct the retaining walls under bridges.

NOTE: This story is from the ADOT Blog.

By Peter Corbett / ADOT Communications

The King of the Cowboys has not been forgotten.

PHOENIX – Repairs to guardrail damaged by the Sawmill Fire on State Route 83 are complete and all restrictions on the roadway between Interstate 10 and Sonoita have been lifted, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

ADOT crews repaired about two miles of guardrail and supporting posts that were damaged in the fire. Several damaged road signs also were replaced.

PHOENIX – A Phoenix resident who allegedly used a stolen identity to get a duplicate driver license has been arrested thanks to Arizona Department of Transportation detectives’ use of facial recognition training and technology.

PHOENIX – With blasting and daily closures finished along State Route 77 between Globe and Winkelman, the roadway will be reduced to one lane each weekday through early June as crews complete a project to remove overhanging rock, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

A pilot vehicle will guide motorists through the work zone between mileposts 154 and 161, about 15 miles south of Globe, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays until Friday, June 2. Drivers should plan for delays of up to 20 minutes.

PHOENIX – A stretch of northbound 59th Avenue approaching Interstate 10 will be closed for several days starting Wednesday, May 3, for the relocation of a city of Phoenix sewer line. The work is part of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s project to build the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

Northbound 59th Avenue will be closed between Roosevelt Street and I-10 (Papago Freeway) from 5:30 a.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Monday, May 8.

Motorists should consider 51st or 67th avenues and Van Buren Street as alternate routes while northbound 59th Avenue is closed.

PHOENIX – Are you an experienced motorcycle rider looking to learn advanced techniques? A new rider learning the basics? Maybe you have to dust off your motorcycle before the occasional weekend ride?

PHOENIX – Drivers are already noticing a smoother ride on Interstate 17, and there’s more on the way as crews work to resurface more than 10 miles of the freeway between the downtown area and north Phoenix with a fresh layer of rubberized asphalt.

As the Arizona Department of Transportation’s $9.8 million I-17 Improvement Project between Dunlap and 19th avenues approaches the halfway mark, crews have already paved six miles southbound and five miles northbound.

PHOENIX —State Route 83 has reopened this afternoon south of Interstate 10 after being closed for nearly three days because of the Sawmill Fire, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers can expect local delays as ADOT crews repair guardrails damaged by the fire. Lane restrictions and reduced speed limits are expected in the area where crews are working.

The road had been closed since the fire approached SR 83 on Monday afternoon.

TUCSON – Getting customers out of line and safely on the road doesn’t usually mean literally breaking down walls, but for one Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division office, it’s a way to continue making improvements for customers.

The Tucson Regional office, located southeast of downtown Tucson at 3565 S. Broadmont Drive, has been undergoing renovations to create a more open, orderly and customer-friendly layout. Completing this work will require a temporary two-day closure on Thursday, May 18, and Friday, May 19.

SAN LUIS RÍO COLORADO, Mexico – An Arizona Department of Transportation program aiming to reduce commercial vehicle wait times at the international border offered its first training in Mexico this week to help Mexican trucking firms better understand and prepare for safety inspections.