News

PHOENIX – Arizona Highways, a world-renowned magazine that has been sharing stories and dramatic photography of Arizona for almost as long as the state has had roads, added to its reputation for excellence with 20 awards at this month’s International Regional Magazine Association conference.

The magazine, published by the Arizona Department of Transportation, won five first-place Gold Awards, including one for the April issue celebrating the 90th anniversary of Arizona Highways, which published its first edition on April 15, 1925.

PHOENIX – To deter unsafe lane changes that can result in crashes, Arizona Department of Transportation crews will install a series of lane separator posts by this weekend along the westbound US 60 (Superstition Freeway) HOV lane between Kyrene Road and Interstate 10 in Tempe.

The white polyurethane posts, also known as lane delineators, are being installed to discourage westbound US 60 drivers using the HOV lane from making sudden lane changes as they approach the I-10 interchange.

The installation will require the following overnight restrictions along westbound US 60:

PHOENIX – Planning Arizona’s transportation future requires setting priorities and making sometimes-difficult choices given limited resources.

As the Arizona Department of Transportation updates its Long-Range Transportation Plan, a blueprint looking from now through 2040, an interactive online survey allows you to help shape this vision by walking through scenarios similar to those facing planners and policymakers. 

PHOENIX – Planning for the South Mountain Freeway took into account rapid growth expected in the East Valley and West Valley and the substantial time savings drivers will see from having an alternative to an already strained Interstate 10 through downtown Phoenix.

According to projections for 2035, someone taking the South Mountain Freeway from Gilbert, Chandler or Queen Creek to a job in the West Valley will save up to 25 minutes on average versus traveling on I-10 between the Loop 202 Santan Freeway and the South Mountain Freeway’s connection with I-10 in west Phoenix.

YUMA – Drivers who have been anticipating a new bridge to carry US 95 traffic over the flood-prone Fortuna Wash don’t have much longer to wait: The bridge is expected to begin taking traffic by the end of November.

The final two concrete pours to complete the deck of the bridge are planned Thursday, Sept. 22, and again on Thursday, Oct. 6, beginning each night about 10 p.m. and continuing until about 6 a.m. the following day. Drivers on US 95 may experience minor delays during those times.

SHOW LOW – An initiative that has reduced wait times at Motor Vehicle Division offices is one of the big results of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s commitment to continuous improvement. But even finding a better way to fill a water tank used for treating roadside weeds is helping ADOT provide better service for Arizonans.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation, White Mountain Apache Tribe and U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs are working together to remove trees considered hazards along the State Route 260 right of way through the eastern Arizona reservation.

SURPRISE ‒ Grand Avenue (US 60) will be closed overnight between Dysart and Litchfield roads beginning Friday, Sept. 23, for work on an overpass and interchange under construction at Bell Road.

An overnight closure that was scheduled to begin tonight (Friday, Sept. 16) has been moved to next week.

PHOENIX – The first phase of construction on the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway will begin on Monday, Sept. 19, with improvements at the Interstate 10/Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) interchange in the East Valley.

PHOENIX – A project to make several safety improvements along State Route 88, also known as the Apache Trail, will be discussed during the Apache Junction City Council’s meeting on Monday evening, Sept. 19.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will deliver a presentation about the SR 88 Improvement Project, slated to start in spring 2017, as part of the council meeting. Members of the public are invited to provide feedback or other comments following the ADOT project team’s presentation.

US 89 through the Navajo Nation community of Cameron has a wider roadway, two new bridges over the Little Colorado River, a modern roundabout at the junction with State Route 64, and underpasses for people and livestock thanks to a recently completed Arizona Department of Transportation project.

PHOENIX – The 62-year-old State Route 89 bridge at Hell Canyon will be removed on Sept. 16.

The Arizona Department of Transportation replaced the 1954 bridge, which no longer met state and federal design standards for larger and heavier vehicles, earlier this year. The new bridge is better able to accommodate commercial traffic, particularly oversized loads, between Prescott and Interstate 40.

PHOENIX – Southern Arizona drivers can expect minor delays for the next eight months on State Route 92 in southern Cochise County as crews work to replace a 61-year-old bridge over the San Pedro River.

The bridge will close from 7 a.m.  to 3 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12, so Arizona Department of Transportation workers can put temporary striping, construction barriers and a traffic signal in place. Drivers will use Palominas and Hereford roads as an alternate.

PHOENIX – Want to avoid lines at MVD offices? Chances are good that you can take care of business online instead.

According to data collected by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, 51 percent of the transactions that happen in MVD offices every business day could be done online instead. These range from very common transactions such as renewing a vehicle registration or replacing a driver license/identification card to smaller but still important things such as getting a decal for an off-road vehicle or a customer refund.

PRESCOTT – An Arizona Department of Transportation conference in October will help owners of small businesses and those qualifying for ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program learn how to bid for projects and contracts.

PHOENIX ‒ Universities are back in session, football season is underway and school spirit is in the air ‒ and on many vehicle bumpers.

More and more alumni and other fans are showcasing school colors with specialty plates offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division. In the process, they’re raising hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for scholarships.

PHOENIX – Thirteen years of public involvement helped shape plans for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway. With the Arizona Department of Transportation preparing to begin construction along the 22-mile corridor, the community can continue providing feedback and seeking information by attending meetings, connecting online and using other resources.

SURPRISE ‒ From the rising walls and columns bearing a distinctive agave pattern to the bridge sections receiving a concrete deck, a $41.9 million overpass and interchange under construction at Bell Road and Grand Avenue (US 60) remains on track to reopen Bell Road to traffic in November.

Glendale City Court is the newest addition to the growing roster of kiosks available to Arizonans doing business with the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.

Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers was on hand Thursday to help open the latest location in MVD’s ongoing effort to improve customer experience by making services available in more public spaces like city courts.

Glendale joins El Mirage, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Surprise and Tucson as court kiosk locations in addition to those located in MVD offices statewide.

TUCSON – The Arizona Department of Transportation is beginning a year-long pilot program allowing slightly heavier trucks in one of the state’s key transportation corridors, responding to requests from area leaders to help make commercial traffic more efficient.