News

PHOENIX – Overnight closures of Interstate 17 in north Phoenix are scheduled this week, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Drivers are urged to allow extra travel time while the following late night closures are in place:

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has opened elevated ramps connecting State Route 51 at the Loop 101 Pima Freeway with Black Mountain Boulevard, improving access in the Desert Ridge area.

A roundabout serves as a transition to slow traffic to and from the freeway, and a pedestrian bridge has been added over Black Mountain Boulevard near Pinnacle High School.

PHOENIX – Drivers along Phoenix-area freeways can expect to see an additional reminder about the cost of being caught cheating in high occupancy vehicle lanes during weekday rush hours.

Over the next year, the Arizona Department of Transportation will add more than 250 signs that say “HOV Violation $400 Minimum” along Valley freeways with HOV lanes.

PHOENIX – Beginning next week, Arizonans will be able to provide input on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s annual update of projects proposed to move forward in the next five years and how much local, state and federal funding should go toward those projects.

SURPRISE ‒ Next weekend, Grand Avenue (US 60) will be closed from 9 p.m. March 18, to 7 p.m. March 20, between R.H. Johnson Boulevard/Sunrise Boulevard and Loop 303 to accommodate freeway bridge work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Motorists should plan ahead and consider alternate routes while the closure is in effect.

The primary detour for Grand Avenue traffic will be along Loop 303 and Bell Road. Southbound Loop 303 drivers in the Peoria area can connect with Grand Avenue via southbound El Mirage Road and westbound Bell Road.

TUCSON – A bridge replacement project on westbound Interstate 10 between Tucson and Benson will require a 67-mile detour overnight from 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, to 5 a.m. Wednesday, March 23.

Westbound I-10 motorists, traveling toward Tucson, should expect up to two additional hours of travel time and consider avoiding the stretch if possible, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Eastbound I-10 will remain open. 

PHOENIX ‒ Four-hour closures of US 60 between Globe and Superior are planned for Tuesday, March 15, and Thursday, March 17, as crews complete passing-lane and shoulder-widening work, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – With only a few exceptions, specialty license plates offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division do more than just allow drivers to show support for causes and express their individuality. They raise money – and a lot of it – for charities and nonprofit groups.

In 2015, the 389,536 specialty plates on Arizona vehicles raised more than $6.5 million.

PHOENIX – The next phase of defining an Interstate 11 corridor through Arizona offers the public a chance to help shape the vision for a route intended to enhance trade and boost Arizona’s economy.

In partnership with the Federal Highway Administration and regional planning agencies, the Arizona Department of Transportation has launched a three-year environmental study to select an I-11 corridor alternative between Nogales and Wickenburg.

PHOENIX – Over the next few weeks, thousands will take to Arizona’s highways for spring break getaways. Classmates, friends, fraternity brothers, 20-somethings looking to get away from the grind will drive to destinations that are sunny or snowy, relaxing or adventurous, luxurious or frugal and everywhere in between.

At the Arizona Department of Transportation, we want spring breakers to enjoy their escapes. More importantly, we want them to make it home safely. But there’s reason to worry that too many will not.

PHOENIX – Arizona and Mexico will further their collaboration on developing the key trade corridor connecting them under an agreement signed this week by Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski and Raul Murrieta Cummings, undersecretary of infrastructure for Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport.

PHOENIX ‒ An upgrade to high-efficiency LED lighting in a US 60 tunnel east of the Phoenix area. A long-sought bridge to carry SR 347 over railroad tracks in Maricopa. Innovative monitoring technology transmitting real-time data on the structural health of four remote interstate bridges.

Facing limited transportation funding, the Arizona Department of Transportation has been able to move forward with these and other projects benefiting the state because of its success in seeking competitive grants.

PHOENIX – Since Sept. 16, 2008, more and more people have looked to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Twitter account, @ArizonaDOT, for essential information on traffic conditions, answers to questions about routes and the occasional tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Sasquatches might have been spotted along a highway.

On Monday, ADOT surpassed 100,000 followers on Twitter, joining Washington state as the only state DOTs with more than 100,000 followers. @ArizonaDOT is also the most followed government account in Arizona.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will deliver the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway three years sooner and at a cost savings topping $100 million by taking an innovative approach to selecting the team to design, build and maintain the highway.

“This is another example of government working at the speed of business to save taxpayer money and improve the lives of Arizonans,” said Governor Doug Ducey. "Thanks to hard work and collaboration, the South Mountain Freeway will be completed under budget and faster than expected.”

PHOENIX – Whether it’s adding travel lanes to relieve congestion on a Phoenix-area freeway, building a new interstate bridge outside Tucson or reconstructing a landslide-damaged northern Arizona highway, engineers stamp their mark on the state’s transportation system each and every day.

PHOENIX – Work to complete the freeway-to-freeway interchange linking Loop 303 with Interstate 10 in Goodyear is underway this week, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

As part of the $83 million project to build the south half of the traffic interchange, crews will complete the four remaining ramps to connect the two freeways and extend Loop 303 south to Van Buren Street. The improvements also will allow traffic to make connections between Loop 303 and Cotton Lane south of Van Buren Street.

PHOENIX – The figures remain preliminary, but it’s already clear that motor-vehicle crash fatalities on Arizona roadways increased in 2015 – and that speeding, impaired driving and failure to use seat belts and other restraints contributed significantly.

At present, the Arizona Department of Transportation is reporting 891 motor-vehicle crash fatalities for 2015. That number, which is incomplete while ADOT collects reports from law enforcement entities around the state, surpasses the 773 fatalities in motor-vehicle crashes during 2014.

PHOENIX – Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Arlando Teller, a veteran transportation official from the Navajo Nation, and Steve Stratton, a longtime city and county leader from Globe, to serve on the State Transportation Board.

Teller will represent Apache, Navajo and Coconino counties, while Stratton will represent Pinal, Gila and Graham counties.

The State Transportation Board’s seven members serve six-year terms, prioritizing transportation needs, projects and funding on behalf of communities throughout Arizona.

PHOENIX – Motorists using US 60 between Phoenix and Globe next week should plan ahead and consider alternate routes as the Arizona Department of Transportation continues blasting work to build a passing lane and widen roadway shoulders east of Superior.

Construction of the two-mile-long climbing lane from Devil’s Canyon to Oak Flat (mileposts 231-233) will require one full closure lasting four hours:

• Thursday, Feb. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

No closures are scheduled the following week, Feb. 22 through Feb. 26.

PHOENIX – By expanding the use of technology and third-party options, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is making it ever easier for motorists to renew vehicle registrations, apply for driver licenses and more without visiting MVD offices.

Numbers for 2015 tell the story: