News

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:

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation will reschedule the Long Range Transportation Plan workshop that was to be held 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday in Globe due to a construction closure planned that day on US 60.

The workshop, to be held at the City of Globe Municipal Building, 150 N. Pine St., will likely be held in March. Once rescheduled, the meeting will be advertised and a stakeholder invitation will be resent. 

YUMA – Residents will have a more reliable link with Yuma County’s largest employer, Yuma Proving Ground, thanks to a 600-foot bridge the Arizona Department of Transportation is building across a flood-prone section of US 95.

Work began this week on the $9.3 million bridge spanning Fortuna Wash northeast of Yuma and is expected to be completed by next winter.

PHOENIX – An innovative new snowplow is allowing the Arizona Department of Transportation to remove snow and ice more efficiently by having one driver clear the width of two lanes.

The first TowPlow to join ADOT’s fleet of 200 traditional snowplows is assigned to 20 miles of Interstate 40 between Williams and Bellemont west of Flagstaff. The device saw its first use during this week’s snowstorm.

PHOENIX – With another tax season at hand, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division is once again offering a free online way to learn how much vehicle license tax you paid in 2015.

Vehicle Fee Recap, available through ServiceArizona.com, also allows vehicle owners to obtain the amount of any specialty license plate donations.

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation and partner agencies will hold an event Wednesday, Feb. 10, offering tips and tools to owners of small businesses and companies qualifying for the agency’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

PHOENIX – This winter’s El Niño-fueled storms are leaving the Arizona Department of Transportation and drivers with some bumpy reminders of the one-two punch our highways take from Mother Nature and traffic.

The good news is ADOT crews regularly examine state highways for potholes and address them as quickly as possible, making short-term patches followed by long-term repairs.

BULLHEAD CITY ‒ To minimize traffic delays from a safety-improvement project planned along State Route 95, the Arizona Department of Transportation will have changes in place when work resumes later this year.

The $1.5 million project includes adding a raised median to SR 95 between the Bullhead Parkway and Aviation Way intersections to enhance safety. In addition, the stretch from Aviation Way to the Laughlin Bridge intersection in Bullhead City will be repaved.

PHOENIX ‒ When fuel and other hazardous materials spill along our highways, the Arizona Department of Transportation makes sure the messes are cleaned up properly ‒ and that taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill.

PHOENIX ‒ Arizona Department of Transportation engineers in Phoenix will get real-time information on the conditions of four interstate bridges in remote northwestern Arizona thanks to technology funded by a $768,000 Federal Highway Administration grant.

To enhance safety and efficiency, ADOT will use the Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration grant to add structural health monitoring systems to the Interstate 15 bridges, embedding sensors on the superstructures that record, analyze and share data.

PHOENIX – Utility relocation work will require lane restrictions at times along Bell Road near Grand Avenue over the next several weeks, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

The utility relocations are being done at the start of a $41.9 million project to construct a new interchange that will place Bell Road on a bridge traveling over Grand Avenue and the parallel BNSF Railway tracks.

PHOENIX – Warm clothing and blankets? Check.

Plenty of gas in the tank, fully charged cellphone, drinking water? Check, check, check.

Please add this to your safety checklist when heading to play in the snow: Don’t park along highways. Use only designated parking areas.

Highway shoulders are for emergencies, and parking on them to play in the snow is hazardous in several ways:

PHOENIX – In today’s fast-paced world, a reliable transportation system is vital, as people and commerce move through a statewide network to get to where they’re going. To keep pace, the transportation needs of tomorrow take planning and investment to ensure that Arizona stays competitive and meets the needs of a growing state.

PHOENIX ‒ With a contractor selected, the Arizona Department of Transportation is moving forward with a $41.9 million project to relieve traffic congestion at US 60/Grand Avenue and Bell Road in Surprise.

On Friday, the Arizona State Transportation Board approved Coffman Specialties Inc.’s proposal to design and build a Bell Road bridge, creating an interchange that will allow continuous traffic flow on Grand Avenue. The project is part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan.

PHOENIX ‒ Several projects that are underway or planned during 2016 will significantly upgrade US 60 from Superior to Globe.

PHOENIX – Recent snowstorms combined with the long holiday weekend means winter recreation areas along US 180 near Flagstaff are expected to see heavy traffic, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

PHOENIX – As traffic demands continue to grow across the state, the Arizona Department of Transportation is becoming more efficient and innovative in operating and sustaining a transportation system that touches the lives of nearly every Arizonan.

In streamlining its overall structure, ADOT is shifting several core functions into the Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division (TSMO). The move allows ADOT to better manage current infrastructure while looking ahead to the use of emerging technologies that can enhance the mobility of people and products.