News

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation has selected a preferred developer for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which remains on track for construction to begin in summer 2016 as the largest-ever highway project in the state.

This is the first highway public-private partnership in Arizona. While the South Mountain Freeway will not be a toll road, the public-private partnership will allow ADOT to construct the project at an accelerated pace and at a lower cost.

PHOENIX – The designation of two high priority Arizona transportation corridors in the five-year transportation bill approved by Congress represents a step forward for the planned Interstate 11 and the Sonoran Corridor in Tucson and the promise of both to boost Arizona’s economy, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX ‒ With five more miles of US 93 expanded to four-lane divided highway north of Wickenburg, the Arizona Department of Transportation is another step closer to its goal of transforming the 200 miles to Hoover Dam into a modern thoroughfare.

Nine months of work concluded in late November just outside Wickenburg, from milepost 185 to 190 and between state routes 71 and 89.

PHOENIX – After completing a comprehensive study of wrong-way driving crashes on state highways and how technology may help reduce the threat, the Arizona Department of Transportation is planning a prototype project to use existing highway sensors to detect wrong-way vehicles and to alert authorities and other motorists.

PHOENIX – Responding to a widely circulated media report that has been corrected, the Arizona Department of Transportation notes that there has been no significant change to the timeline for the South Mountain Freeway project, which is still projected to open to traffic in 2020.

On behalf of the project sponsors, the U.S. Department of Justice on Oct. 20 submitted a request to U.S. District Court for a three-week extension to allow time to complete the administrative record as part of the legal action against the freeway project.

PHOENIX ‒ The Arizona Department of Transportation has been selected to receive a $15 million federal grant toward the construction of a railroad overpass on State Route 347, the only direct route between the city of Maricopa and metro Phoenix.

The Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation is for a $55 million project intended to enhance safety and alleviate traffic backups at the SR 347 Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Maricopa.

PHOENIX – A long-discussed plan for a proposed passenger rail system linking Tucson and Phoenix has many more hurdles to clear, starting with where the money would come from. An important first step, however, is sharing your opinion on it.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public comment on an environmental report detailing three alternatives for passenger rail, including a recommended route.

The deadline for comments is Friday, Oct. 30.

PHOENIX – Following the House Rock Flood event that temporarily closed US 89A west of Marble Canyon on Aug. 9, Governor Doug Ducey recently issued a Declaration of Emergency that will allow the Arizona Department of Transportation to seek approximately $2 million in federal emergency funding to cover the initial costs to reopen the highway and the long-term repairs to restore the highway to its original condition.

PHOENIX – Twenty-five, years ago, the last segment of Interstate 10 was completed and it happened in Phoenix.

When the Arizona Department of Transportation opened the “Final Mile” between Third Avenue and Third Street, including the Deck Park Tunnel, it created the nation’s second coast-to-coast interstate, stretching 2,460 miles and across eight states, from Santa Monica, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla.

PHOENIX – As Arizona continues to build on its reputation as a world-renowned destination for bicyclists, our state has now received approval for its first U.S. bicycle route that will run through Arizona border to border while connecting to a national system of bike routes.

PHOENIX – Three public hearings are scheduled this week to encourage community members to review and comment on the environmental document that outlines a plan for a passenger rail system connecting Arizona’s two major metropolitan areas.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration, has released the Draft Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for ADOT’s Passenger Rail Corridor Study: Tucson to Phoenix. While the proposed passenger rail project has no identified funding, this environmental impact statement is a step closer to identifying the cost, impacts and benefits from a rail system serving passengers in Arizona.

PHOENIX – Vacant properties owned by the Arizona Department of Transportation will soon begin to be removed to clear a path for the future Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, which is the last piece to complete the Loop 202 system and provide a direct link between the West Valley and East Valley. Nearly 200 vacant properties owned by the state will be razed in advance of freeway construction, which is set to begin in summer 2016.

PHOENIX – After heavy rainfall on Aug. 9 blanketed miles of US 89A between Marble Canyon and Jacob’s Lake with mud and boulders, the Arizona Department of Transportation has been working swiftly to restore the highway to its previous condition.

The House Rock Flood was caused by approximately one-and-a-half inches of rain in less than 20 minutes, according to the National Weather Service. As a result, crews were busy last week clearing mud and debris that collected on the roadway and in box culverts underneath the roadway to prevent possible damage during future storms.

PHOENIX —The Arizona Department of Transportation is testing wrong-way vehicle detection devices next to three more off-ramps along Phoenix-area freeways as part of an ongoing research effort to reduce the risk of wrong-way crashes.

The detectors, manufactured by TAPCO, Inc., were installed last week along the northbound Interstate 17 exit to State Route 74 (Carefree Highway), the eastbound Interstate 10 exit at Ray Road and the northbound Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) off-ramp at Thunderbird Road.

PHOENIX – Technology is being implemented to enhance the Arizona Department of Transportation’s weight and equipment safety inspection process for commercial motor vehicles. ADOT Enforcement and Compliance Division enforcement services officers are utilizing Truck Screening Systems Technology to check for weight, permit and registration compliance at three rest areas located along Arizona’s Interstate highways.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is taking an active role in curbing identity theft and fraud by implementing facial recognition technology in the application process for state-issued credentials.

An applicant for a new or duplicate driver license or state ID card at an ADOT Motor Vehicle Division or Authorized Third Party office will have their photo taken at the beginning of the process. Facial recognition during the “Photo First” review process occurs seamlessly and without delay as the customer continues through the application process.

PHOENIX – As the summer monsoon season continues to bring thunderstorms and an increased risk of dust storms, the Arizona Department of Transportation is bolstering its efforts to warn motorists about the dangers of dust storms with a new partnership with OUTFRONT Media’s digital billboards in the Phoenix metro area.

Fourteen digital billboards, boldly stating “Don’t Drive Into A Dust Storm” in uppercase letters, are now posted prominently near two of the busiest freeways in the Phoenix metro area – Interstate 10 and Interstate 17.

PHOENIX — While the Arizona Department of Transportation completed interim repairs to the Hell Canyon Bridge in 2013, the agency moved forward with plans to design a new bridge along State Route 89 in Yavapai County that would ultimately replace the aging and narrow bridge that does not meet today’s design standards. Two years later, ADOT will start construction on Tuesday, July 14 on a modernized bridge that will replace the current bridge when completed.

PHOENIX – While the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration have not yet had an opportunity to review in detail the legal action filed against the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, the agencies are confident that any legal challenges will find that the law was followed in coming to a decision to construct this long-planned freeway.