News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has begun the process of updating its goal for the percentage value of federal-aid contract dollars won by firms certified for its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.

To do so, the agency has retained Keen Independent Research to develop a draft study on the availability of disadvantaged business enterprises in Arizona. This availability study will be completed in May and released for public review and comment along with ADOT’s proposed participation goal for disadvantaged business enterprises.

PHOENIX – Information is power for those whose commutes and daily routines intersect with construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

The Arizona Department of Transportation has made it easy to get email and text alerts that will help you save time. Just visit SouthMountainFreeway.com and click the orange button that reads “Sign up for traffic alerts now!” Each week, you’ll receive a list of lane restrictions and closures in the works so you can plan accordingly.

PHOENIX – Trucking companies should be on alert for an individual impersonating an Arizona Department of Transportation Enforcement and Compliance Division officer.

Earlier this month, a man identifying himself as an officer with ADOT’s Enforcement and Compliance Division contacted a Mesa-based trucking company saying one of its trucks was damaged in a crash and that the company needed to send payment for a mechanic called out to make repairs.

Inconsistencies in the suspect’s story led the company’s operations manager to suspect a scam.

PHOENIX – Drivers should be prepared for blowing dust and reduced visibility along Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The National Weather Service says gusty winds were recorded in the Casa Grande area today and the Department of Public Safety reported areas of blowing dust crossing I-10 southeast of Phoenix.

Dust along portions of I-10 is just one of a number of weather-related issues motorists may encounter across the state due to the third in a series of winter storms in recent days.

PHOENIX – Sections of State Route 51 (Piestewa Freeway) in Phoenix are scheduled to be closed overnight on Monday and Tuesday evenings (Jan. 23-24) while crews install new traffic-flow sensors, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Planned restrictions are subject to change due to inclement weather.

 Drivers should consider alternate routes, including southbound Interstate 17 or 16th and 24th streets, while the following SR 51 closures are in place:

PHOENIX ‒ Planning a trip to play in the snow Sunday? Leave prepared for heavy traffic around popular snow-play sites and the potential for more winter weather to arrive as early as Sunday afternoon. 

Highway conditions can deteriorate quickly during severe weather as snow accumulates and drivers struggle, and closures can happen suddenly and be prolonged.

PHOENIX ‒ With the worst of back-to-back winter storms yet to come, the Arizona Department of Transportation’s snowplow operators are working 12-hour shifts to keep highways open. 

In some cases, other drivers are making that difficult job even tougher.

On Thursday afternoon, an SUV struck a snowplow working on State Route 89A between Prescott Valley and Jerome (as shown in the photo). Everyone was OK – though the SUV was severely damaged – but ADOT lost precious time clearing that route.

PHOENIX – With back-to-back snowstorms bearing down on Arizona, know what you’re driving into before heading to the high country.

Highway conditions can deteriorate quickly during severe weather as snow accumulates and drivers struggle, and closures can happen suddenly and be prolonged. If enough snow falls, the Arizona Department of Transportation may close lesser-used highways while snowplows address busier routes.

HOLBROOK – An Arizona Department of Transportation project to prevent falling rocks will close one lane of westbound Interstate 40 near Joseph City, just west of Holbrook, on weekdays through March.

This week, workers began using heavy equipment to break up and haul away an estimated 45,000 tons of rocks, dirt and clay from an eroding slope just north of the roadway.

While a temporary concrete barrier is preventing rocks from falling into travel lanes, this safety project offers a permanent solution.

PHOENIX – With two winter storms forecast to blanket Arizona’s high country with as much as 24 inches of snow between Thursday and Saturday, motorists should be prepared for hazardous driving conditions, delays and possible highway closures – and consider delaying travel during the worst weather.

PHOENIX – Construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway remains on track with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejecting the Gila River Indian Community’s motion for an injunction pending appeal.

The order, released Friday, means work can proceed on the South Mountain Freeway while an appeal by freeway opponents is pending before the 9th Circuit in San Francisco. It’s the fifth time courts have rejected attempts to halt construction of this long-planned link between the East Valley and West Valley.

From John Halikowski, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation:

"We at ADOT join Governor Doug Ducey, our colleagues at the Arizona Department of Public Safety and all Arizonans in praying for the recovery of the Arizona State Trooper wounded in today’s incident on Interstate 10 west of Phoenix.

"Arizona State Troopers are heroes who keep our highways safe. All Arizonans owe them a debt of gratitude for their dedication and sacrifice."

PHOENIX – With light snow in the forecast heading into a long weekend, winter recreation areas along US 180 near Flagstaff are likely to attract heavy traffic that leads to delays.

Those planning to visit snow-play areas along US 180 over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend should leave prepared to spend extended time in winter weather – and to face traffic backlogs getting back to Flagstaff that increase as the day goes on.

NOGALES – A project creating recovery zones for motorists using Interstate 19 will require daily lane closures while Arizona Department of Transportation crews remove trees and woody vegetation within 30 feet of travel lanes.

The project, designed to give drivers whose vehicles leave the roadway a better opportunity to stop safely, has begun near Nogales and is expected to reach Tucson by the end of March.

PHOENIX – One of the most common Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division transactions just got a bit easier with the addition of more Authorized Third Party providers permitted to offer driver license services including road testing, written testing and photos.

There are now 22 third-party providers, operating at 33 locations, authorized to offer these transactions. To do so, they must meet stringent qualifications set by MVD.

PHOENIX – Sections of northbound State Route 51 (Piestewa Freeway) near Indian School and Camelback roads will be closed overnight this week for work to install new traffic-flow detectors, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Drivers should consider alternate routes, including northbound Interstate 17 as well as 16th or 24th streets, while the following SR 51 closures are in place:

PHOENIX – To help keep Ahwatukee Foothills traffic moving during construction of the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the Arizona Department of Transportation will begin widening the eastbound lanes of Pecos Road on Monday, Jan. 16, to accommodate two-way traffic.

YUMA – The intersection of Avenue 3E and US 95 in Yuma will be open to through traffic only – no turns permitted –  for about the next four weeks as Arizona Department of Transportation crews install a 48-inch irrigation pipe.

The work is part of a $3.2 million project to widen and improve both roads on Yuma’s east side.

Construction of a 48-inch, reinforced-concrete irrigation pipe across US 95 is scheduled for completion on Jan. 20.  

PHOENIX – Current Arizona driver licenses and state identification cards are valid for air travel until Oct. 1, 2020.

Period.

PHOENIX – With Valley drivers benefiting from several freeway improvement projects completed during 2016, including the widening of Loop 101 between Shea Boulevard and Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway) in the Scottsdale area, the Arizona Department of Transportation is poised to start or complete several Phoenix-area projects in the coming year.

ADOT’s highlights for the regional freeway system in 2017 include: