News

PHOENIX – Drivers who use State Route 87 between the Phoenix area and Payson should plan on extra travel time starting Tuesday, July 11, when the next phase of an improvement project focusing on roadway repair and erosion control gets underway.

When the SR 87 work zone is set up in the Slate Creek area about 25 miles south of Payson, the highway will be narrowed to one lane in each direction between mileposts 223 and 226, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – Late-night motorists traveling on westbound Interstate 10 (Papago Freeway) at 59th Avenue should prepare for overnight closures early next week and lane restrictions the remainder of the month as crews work on the flyover bridge structures that will eventually connect to the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway.

PHOENIX ‒ A bright idea by Arizona Department of Transportation employees delivers clearer messages on overhead electronic signs along state highways, while saving taxpayer dollars.

PHOENIX – A man who eluded authorities for 40 years after a sexual assault conviction has been returned to New York state to serve his sentence after an investigation and arrest by Arizona Department of Transportation detectives.

Acting on a tip from the Social Security Administration, ADOT’s Office of Inspector General determined that Todd Matus, now 62, used the identity of a deceased Massachusetts resident, including name, date of birth and Social Security number, to obtain an Arizona driver license and a vehicle title and registration.

PHOENIX – While State Route 69 has reopened between Interstate 17 and State Route 169 near Prescott, drivers need to use caution as crews in the area continue fighting the Goodwin Fire, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Those using SR 69 through the affected area should slow down and watch out for vehicles and equipment entering and exiting the highway. In addition, windblown smoke can reduce visibility.

PHOENIX – Several major milestones on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway project will require some extended closures of roadways in Ahwatukee during the month of July, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. 

Following the Fourth of July holiday, the first girders will be set on the new bridges over 17th Avenue and 40th Street. In mid-July, crews will shift Pecos Road traffic between 24th Street and 17th Avenue to an interim roadway following a similar reconfiguration that took place between 40th and 24th streets in April.

PHOENIX – A new agreement between Arizona and the Republic of Korea allows Arizonans staying longer than a year to obtain driver licenses in that country without having to take written and road tests.

Licensed drivers from South Korea will receive the same courtesy for stays in Arizona lasting more than a year.

On Tuesday, Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski and Key Cheol Lee, the Republic of Korea consul general in Los Angeles, signed a memorandum of understanding formalizing a reciprocity agreement.

Note: An ongoing Federal Highway Administration project will close State Route 89A south of Flagstaff between the Vista Point Overlook and JW Powell Boulevard on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following morning. No daytime restrictions are planned July 1-4.

PHOENIX – During the Independence Day weekend, state and local agencies are focusing on keeping motorists safe and placing equipment and resources along heavily traveled highways to help move traffic should incidents occur.

YUMA ‒ One of the Yuma area’s largest road construction projects in recent years will begin in mid-July, but preparations for the work mean road closures and restrictions on Araby and Gila Ridge roads at Interstate 8 will begin as soon as the July 4 holiday ends.

PRESCOTT VALLEY – While traffic has increased with growth, the Arizona Department of Transportation is smoothing the journey along State Route 69 through Prescott Valley using the latest in traffic-management technology.

PHOENIX – Traffic fatalities on Arizona’s local roads and state highways climbed higher for the second straight year and driver behavior continues to be a leading factor in motor vehicle collisions, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s annual Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report.

In 2016, 962 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, 65 more than the year before, representing a 7.3 percent increase. The number of collisions also went up, rising 8.6 percent to 126,845. The increases in motor vehicle crashes and fatalities in Arizona follow national trends.

PHOENIX – Hate lining up in the morning to be the first person through the door at an MVD office? The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is doing something about it.

For the past few weeks, MVD has been opening the doors at its Phoenix-area offices at 7:30 a.m. to see if it would help continue reducing the amount of time people need to spend at an MVD location.

PHOENIX ‒ With extreme heat in the forecast, it’s especially important for drivers to plan before taking to state highways, starting with having a fully charged cellphone as well as extra drinking water for all passengers, including pets.

Even though your vehicle has air conditioning, be ready in case you must spend extended time on the highway due to a breakdown or some other reason for delay. That starts with having sun protection, including sunscreen, an umbrella for shade, a wide-brimmed hat and loose-fitting, light-colored cotton clothing.

PHOENIX – Projects will increase capacity on key commerce corridors including Interstate 10, State Route 189, US 93 and Interstate 17 under the Arizona Department of Transportation’s construction program covering fiscal years 2018 through 2022.

On Friday, the State Transportation Board approved an annual update to ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, which includes projects in Greater Arizona and the Maricopa County and Pima County regions. This followed a three-month comment period allowing the public and agencies to provide feedback.

YUMA – The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin construction of two new roundabouts at the interchange of Interstate 8 and Araby Road in Yuma this summer in order to help traffic flow in a busy area and accommodate future growth.

On Friday, the Arizona State Transportation Board awarded an $8 million contract to J. Banicki Construction Inc. with an expedited start date to begin the first phase of the project in mid-July.

PHOENIX – A summer program that introduces Arizona high school students to careers in transportation-related disciplines is expanding to include Gila Community College and Pima Community College in addition to instruction long offered by Arizona State University.

PHOENIX – Need to visit an MVD office? Leave that novel at home, you won’t need it to pass the time because the average time people spend at an Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division office has been cut in half in 2017 compared to last year.

So far in 2017, customers at the 15 MVD offices in metro Phoenix and Tucson are averaging fewer than 30 minutes from the moment they enter an office to the time they leave ‒ a trend that began in February and continues today.

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.