Category Archives: City

Vehicle license tax report for 2015 now available on ServiceArizona.com

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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.

From the ServiceArizona home page, a customer can select the Vehicle Fee Recap link and follow the simple instructions to receive a free, printable report. The Vehicle Fee Recap report will only contain information for the previous calendar year.

Owners of vehicles registered in Arizona who wish to use the data provided in the Vehicle Fee Recap report for tax returns should seek guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, the Arizona Department of Revenue or other tax professionals.

The Vehicle Fee Recap feature of ServiceArizona is also accessible by mobile devices.

Information about all services offered by MVD can be found at azdot.gov/mvd.

Overhead message sign to be installed on I-40 in Sanders February 9

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SANDERS — The Arizona Department of Transportation will be installing a new overhead message sign at Sanders Tuesday, February 9. The sign is being installed on I-40 next to the Sanders Port of Entry, milepost 340, which is located in Sanders.

The sign installation is part of a statewide project to install signs on state highways in strategic areas which do not currently have signs. The signs are used to notify motorists of changing road conditions and provide motorists travel advisories.

Crews will close I-40 westbound at the Sanders Port of Entry Tuesday, February 9 from 9 p.m. through Wednesday, February 10 till 4 a.m. During the closure, westbound traffic will be detoured through the port of entry and rerouted back onto I-40.

The speed limit will be reduced and traffic will be directed into one lane through the port of entry. Officers will be present during these restrictions to assist with traffic control.

Drivers are asked to use caution, expect lane closures and watch for construction equipment and personnel.

ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions, but there is a possibility that unscheduled closures or restrictions may occur.

ADOT to host Small & Disadvantaged Business Transportation Expo

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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.

The DBE & Small Business Transportation Expo, scheduled for 7 a.m. to noon at Glendale Civic Center, will allow attendees to learn about project opportunities, network with industry professionals and business owners and hear from transportation leaders including featured speaker ADOT Director John Halikowski. Also participating are the Phoenix Public Transit and Street Transportation departments, Valley Metro and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

“ADOT is committed to providing equal opportunity to businesses wishing to help build and sustain Arizona’s transportation infrastructure,” Halikowski said. “In federal fiscal year 2015, ADOT alone awarded $40 million in contracts to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.”

ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program helps qualifying small businesses compete for contracts. The companies must be owned by individuals from socially and economically disadvantaged groups, including women and minorities.

“ADOT’s DBE program is critical to helping to reduce barriers to entry and teaching DBEs and small businesses how to fish, thrive and survive in the transportation industry,” said Dr. Vivien Lattibeaudiere, manager of ADOT’s Business Engagement and Compliance Office. “With access to project opportunities, they can become a meaningful part of building the transportation infrastructure in our state.”

To register for this free event, visit adotdbeexpo.com.

Although the expo is geared toward Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and small businesses, it’s open to all businesses, public agencies, vendors and community partners with an interest in the transportation industry.

For more on the workshop or ADOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, contact the ADOT Business Engagement and Compliance Office at 602-712-7761 or visit azdot.gov/dbe.

City of St. Johns Joins ADEQ Small Communities Environmental Compliance Assistance Program

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PHOENIX — Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today that the City of St. Johns has joined the ADEQ Small Communities Environmental Compliance Assistance Program (SCECAP).

SCECAP is a statewide program designed to help small cities, towns and special districts comply with state and federal environmental regulations. Smaller cities, towns, and special water and wastewater districts often lack resources and staff to sustain compliance with state and federal environmental laws, so ADEQ began this voluntary program in 2007 to help these, mostly rural, communities affordably protect their public health and air, land and water resources.
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With the addition of the City of St. Johns, SCECAP members include the following municipalities: Taylor, Holbrook, Show Low, Springerville, Eagar, Winslow, Snowflake, and Huachuca City. Sanitary Districts of Naco and Pinetop-Lakeside also participate in the program.

As part of the SCECAP, St. Johns agrees to perform a compliance evaluation to identify environmental laws that apply to city operations, promptly disclose and correct environmental violations if they occur and prepare a Small Community Environmental Protection Plan (SCEPP). A SCEPP establishes policies, management programs and standard operating procedures for addressing environmental concerns. In doing so, the city will be eligible for up to a 100 percent penalty reduction if it has future environmental violations.

“We are committed to helping small communities in the state achieve and maintain environmental compliance,” said ADEQ Director Misael Cabrera. “We congratulate St. Johns for being a leader in the effort to reduce its environmental footprint and hope other small municipalities and wastewater and water districts join the program.”

City of St Johns Interim Manager Paul Ramsey added, “The City of St. Johns is pleased to partner with ADEQ in this endeavor as we focus on maintaining compliance with environmental laws. Our participation in Arizona’s Small Communities Environmental Compliance Assistance Program will help us with continuous improvement and sustaining a high quality of life for our residents.”

In 2015, City of St. Johns staff moved into the new City Hall – the outcome of redeveloping a brownfields property by working with ADEQ Brownfields, State Lead UST and Voluntary Remediation Programs to leverage its expertise and obtain grant funds to cleanup and remove a leaking underground storage tank and asbestos.
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There is a storm brewing

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Tuesday snow 2016-01-05 003WILLIAMS — In case you had not noticed, there is an increase in cold wind as a storm front moves into the area. Flagstaff and Williams have about the same forecast with wind gusts of around 30-mph expected through Monday. Tonight there is a 20% chance of rain with 90% chance of snow Sunday through Sunday night. Winter storm warnings have been issued through Monday. Up to 13″ of snow is possible over Sunday night with 3 to 5″ more on Monday. Sunny skies are expected to return Tuesday through Friday.

Roundabout construction begins on SR 89 at Perkinsville Road in Chino Valley

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CHINO VALLEY — The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin construction next week on a new roundabout at the intersection of State Route 89 and Perkinsville Road in Chino Valley.

Starting on Monday, Feb. 1 crews will begin shoulder work and place temporary fencing through the work zone. Drivers should be aware of increased truck traffic at the intersection, weather dependent.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage. ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

This $1.5 million project consists of a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 89 and Perkinsville Road between mileposts 328 and 329. Additional work includes removal and replacement of existing pavement, drainage improvements, new pavement markings and lighting.

This project is expected to be complete by September.

Heavy weekend traffic expected again on US 180 near Flagstaff

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FLAGSTAFF – Those planning to use US 180 near Flagstaff this weekend should budget extra travel time as people head to play in the snow, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

With the latest forecast calling for snow starting Sunday morning and picking up into Sunday night and Monday, drivers should leave prepared for extended time in wintry weather and ready to drive in adverse conditions.

Those preparations should start with having a fully charged cellphone, plenty of gas, drinking water and winter coats, warm blankets or both. Among other helpful items: healthy snacks, an ice scraper, a small shovel, a container of sand for traction and hazard warning lights or reflectors.

On roads with snow and ice, slow down, drive according to road conditions and leave extra room between your vehicle and the one in front of you. Give snowplows plenty of room, starting with maintaining four car lengths behind a plow. Never pass a snowplow that’s clearing a road.

For more information on preparing to travel in snow country and driving in adverse weather, please visit azdot.gov/knowsnow.

Don’t pull over on highways or interstates to play in the snow. It’s dangerous for you, other drivers and first responders. Use designated parking areas.

To avoid congestion heading home through Flagstaff at day’s end, consider taking an alternate route offering a more direct path to Interstate 17 via Interstate 40 at Butler Avenue. Signs direct motorists there from US 180.

El Niño storms keep ADOT crews busy repairing potholes

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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.

But conditions that lead to potholes will keep coming, including a storm forecast for early next week, meaning drivers should be keep eye out. How many potholes develop depends in part on how much rain and snow falls.

Potholes can pop up quickly when moisture seeps into and below asphalt, which can be stressed by the combination of freezing overnight temperatures and daytime thawing. Add traffic, and that pavement can break away.

The Flagstaff area usually experiences more than 200 daily freeze-thaw cycles each year, creating a challenge for ADOT maintenance crews in that region. They have stayed busy with pothole repairs since a weeklong series of storms swept across the state in early January.

But even in the state’s warmer regions, where freezing doesn’t occur as often, pothole repair comes with the territory after storms roll through. Given predictions of a wetter-than-normal winter, crews likely will face more bumps in the road.

“Our work doesn’t stop when the snowplows are put away,” said Brent Cain, the ADOT assistant director in charge of the Transportation Systems Management and Operations Division. “Our crews put in long hours to keep the pavement as smooth as possible. It’s a real challenge to keep up with Mother Nature and heavy traffic.”

When storms create potholes, highway workers make initial temporary repairs as soon as possible with patches made from a product called Universal Paving Material, which is heated, placed in the damaged area and tamped down.

More permanent repairs come after the pavement has had time to dry out. That work involves the use of a milling machine to remove a section of pavement around the pothole. In some cases the milled pavement is reused by placing it in an asphalt recycler machine that heats the material on site. A sticky oil is sprayed into the milled area being fixed before the recycled asphalt is placed on top. Crews finish the repair by using a heavy compaction roller to smooth out the pavement.

This type of work on Phoenix-area freeways almost always takes place at night, when there is less traffic. Along a busy freeway, ADOT’s goal is make repairs with most drivers never noticing the work taking place.

Drivers who want to pass along pothole locations on state highways can notify ADOT by visiting the agency’s website at azdot.gov and clicking on “Contact” in the upper right corner of the home page.

The annual cost of pothole and other pavement repairs depends on the severity of a winter season. ADOT usually plans on approximately 10 percent of its winter operations budget being spent on pothole repair.

Since Arizona has been experiencing drier conditions over many of the past 15 years, fixing potholes hasn’t been quite the same challenge. Depending on what Mother Nature and El Niño deliver in the coming months, that could change in 2016.

Flagstaff police vehicle involved in accident during funeral procession

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10-14 962FLAGSTAFF — On January 29, 2016 at approximately 11:45, a Flagstaff Police Department patrol vehicle was involved in a collision while assisting in a funeral procession traveling west on Butler from Ponderosa Parkway.

The procession was approximately 300 vehicles long and was traveling at a slow pace in the south (inside) lane of west bound Butler Avenue. One of the vehicles in the procession stopped to allow another vehicle who was traveling in the opposite direction, to either turn left or complete a U- turn. This vehicle collided with the police vehicle which was west bound in the outside lane assisting with the procession.

During the collision the air bags were deployed, and both occupants of the SUV and the police vehicle were transported for non- life threatening injuries. The collision investigation is being conducted by the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

US 60 east of Superior to close for blasting operations next week

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SUPERIOR — 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 two full closures lasting four hours:

  • Tuesday, Feb. 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Traffic on eastbound US 60 will be stopped east of Superior (milepost 227), and traffic on westbound US 60 will be stopped at the Top of the World, west of Miami (milepost 235), until the blasting work is completed and debris is cleared.

Approximately 30 minutes prior to each blast, motorists should be prepared for possible delays and lane closures as crews set concrete barrier prior to each scheduled closure.

Motorists seeking an alternate route can consider state routes 77 and 177, which is approximately 68 miles long. Motorists headed to the White Mountains region, including Show Low and Springerville, can take State Route 87 through Payson and travel east on State Route 260.

Drivers should use caution, watch for construction equipment and personnel, and allow extra time.