Category Archives: Arizona Department of Transportation

Road work starting on SR 264 east of Ganado

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The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin an improvement project on Monday, May 11 to reconstruct nine miles of State Route 264 between Ganado and Window Rock (mileposts 450-459).

The $12.3 million project, which is scheduled for completion this fall, will include the following:

  • Overlaying the existing pavement with new asphalt
  • Widening existing shoulders and installing new guardrail
  • Installing new cattle guards and barbed wire fencing
  • Extending existing drainage pipes for the widened roadway
  • Construction of a new Fish Wash Bridge to replace the existing one

Work days will be Monday through Friday sunrise to sunset. Flaggers and pilot cars will be used to guide vehicles through the work zone in alternating directions and drivers should anticipate delays of up to 30 minutes.

A traffic signal may be used to regulate traffic across Fish Wash Bridge in alternating directions. If the signal is used, motorists will experience short delays as the signal transitions through its cycle. There will be narrow traffic lanes, wide load restrictions and a reduced speed limit through the work zone.

ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Chino Valley to host third public hearing for ADOT’s Tentative Five-Year Program

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PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is preparing to hold its third and final public hearing next week for the 2016-2020 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program. The public comment period began in March and provides ADOT with the opportunity to reach out to the public and communities statewide for their input on the direction of the program over the next five years.

The third public hearing for the Tentative Five-Year Program is scheduled for 9 a.m. on May 15 in Chino Valley. The meeting will be held in the Town of Chino Valley Council Chambers, 202 N. State Route 89. The monthly State Transportation Board meeting will follow the public hearing.

The 2016-2020 Tentative Five-Year Program lays out proposed projects and improvements to the state highway system over the next five years, with a major focus on preserving existing infrastructure to ensure that it remains in good condition, while providing a reliable transportation network for drivers. It can be a tough balance, as constrained funding simply cannot meet all the transportation needs around the state.

The Five-Year Program is updated annually and designates how much local, state and federal funding is allocated for projects. This includes highways, bridges, transit and aviation.

Limited funding amid growing statewide transportation needs continues to be the biggest challenge over the next five years. Fewer dollars dedicated to transportation is a result of less revenue from traditional sources of transportation funding, like the state gas tax and vehicle license tax, which support the Five-Year Program. The state gas tax is currently 18 cents per gallon and has not been increased for more than 20 years.

These transportation funding challenges have signaled a shift to a strong focus on the preservation of the state highway system, to protect a system valued at $19.7 billion. If ADOT did not invest in preservation, it would cost approximately $200 billion to replace our existing highway infrastructure, should it fall into disrepair. ADOT is committed to moving major expansion projects forward as well, but with less transportation dollars to stretch, fewer expansion projects make it into the Five-Year Program.

The 2016-2020 Tentative Five-Year Program is available for public review and comment at azdot.gov/fiveyearplan. ADOT has developed a “how to read it” guide and welcomes feedback at fiveyearconstructionprogram@azdot.gov. A phone number is also available for public comments at 1-855-712-8530.

The State Transportation Board will consider all public comments received by May 26. Public hearings have been held in Tucson in March and in Phoenix in April. The third and final public hearing will be held on May 15 in Chino Valley. The board is expected to adopt the final 2016-2020 Five-Year Program at its June 19 meeting in Pinetop-Lakeside.

Below are the details for the May public hearing and the June board meeting:

May 15 at 9 a.m.: Public hearing and board meeting in the Town of Chino Valley Council Chambers, 202 N. State Route 89, Chino Valley, AZ 86323

June 19 at 9 a.m.: Board meeting at the Pinetop-Lakeside Town Hall, 1360 N. Niels Hansen Lane, Lakeside, AZ 85929

Availability of energy-efficient vehicle license plates has ended

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2014-0731-energyPHOENIX – The availability of energy-efficient license plates for owners of qualified vehicles has ended as the maximum number of plate applications has been reached, the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division announced today.

In May 2014, 1,800 energy-efficient license plates became available as previous owners of the plates turned them in due to moving out of state, selling their qualifying vehicle or other reasons.

Plates were available on a first-come, first-served basis and were exclusively distributed through ServiceArizona.com.

The energy-efficient plate program was established by the federal government. The program, which offers a maximum of 10,000 license plates in Arizona, allows owners of qualifying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to receive a plate and use the HOV lane during rush hours regardless of the number of passengers.

While the energy-efficient plate program is suspended until further notice, ADOT will continue to update the list of eligible vehicles pending resumption of the program. Also, those vehicle owners who already have an energy-efficient plate can still transfer the plate to another currently qualifying vehicle they own while the program is suspended.

Future improvement projects along US 60 near Globe to cause heavy delays

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PHOENIX — Motorists who travel regularly on US 60 between Globe and Phoenix need to be aware of a series of upcoming improvement projects that will impact traffic on the highway this summer.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is investing nearly $65 million in four critical projects in Pinal/Gila counties that will start this year and build upon efforts to upgrade the US 60 corridor, which is a major transportation route connecting the Phoenix metropolitan area and the communities of Florence Junction, Superior, Globe, Miami, San Carlos and Show Low.

“Improvement projects planned this summer along the US 60 corridor will ultimately enhance safety for motorists,” said ADOT Globe District Engineer Jesse Gutierrez. “Some of the projects will require significant traffic restrictions, so it will be important for motorists to allow extra travel time and plan ahead when construction starts.”

ADOT will work to minimize the traffic impacts by scheduling work hours on overlapping projects at different times of the day as much as possible. A detailed schedule of traffic restrictions will be released to the public prior to the start of construction.

The first project along US 60 will start in June, when ADOT will build a new westbound climbing lane and widen shoulders along a 13-mile stretch of US 60 from the Oak Flat area to the town of Miami (mileposts 229-242).

This $13 million safety improvement project will make it easier for motorists to pass large trucks and slow-moving vehicles whose speed drops because of the sustained grades along this stretch of highway from Devil’s Canyon to the Oak Flat area (mileposts 230-232).

When this project starts, blasting operations will require intermittent full closures of the highway.

Later in the summer, ADOT will convert the last remaining two-lane roadway segment on US 60 between Phoenix and Superior into a modern, four-lane divided highway. The $45 million US 60 Silver King/Superior Streets project just west of Superior (mileposts 222-227) is expected to take two years to complete and will include improving the urban section of highway in Superior. The five-mile-long widening improvements will improve traffic flow and enhance safety on US 60.

East of Superior at milepost 228, ADOT will replace the antiquated lighting in the US 60 Queen Creek Tunnel with a new light-emitting diode (LED) lighting system. This will be the first tunnel in Arizona to have this LED technology.

The new lighting system will improve visibility within the tunnel, which was originally built in 1952, by using an adaptive control system that will adjust the lighting level based upon ambient light and weather conditions outside the tunnel.

ADOT expects to replace the lighting system beginning this summer, which will require new conduit and wiring in the quarter-mile-long tunnel. The total project cost is estimated to be $3.8 million.

The final project on US 60 is a $3 million rock mitigation project along mileposts 228-229, where crews will remove loose boulders along this very rocky and steep section of highway adjacent to the Queen Creek Tunnel.
640-60-corridor

SR 89A travel reduced to one lane south of switchbacks beginning Monday

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FLAGSTAFF/SEDONA — Motorists traveling on State Route 89A between Sedona and Flagstaff should allow for extra travel time as the Arizona Department of Transportation starts a safety improvement project next week to improve erosion protection along the eastern bank of Oak Creek at milepost 385, just south of the switchbacks.

Beginning on Monday, May 4, SR 89A will be reduced to one lane during daytime Monday through Friday, from the early morning hours to 4 p.m., as northbound and southbound traffic will alternate driving through the work zone.

No nighttime, weekend or holiday work is anticipated.

The repair to the creek bank will fortify support to the roadway and prepare for strong stormwater flows expected during the monsoon season. Following last year’s Slide Fire in Oak Creek Canyon, water flow in Oak Creek is expected to increase and could undermine the east bank of Oak Creek and roadway support at this location without the scheduled improvement work.

The bank protection work is anticipated to be fully completed this summer.

Flaggers will be on-site to provide alternating north- and southbound travel through the work zone. Please allow for extra travel time as delays up to 15 minutes can be expected while work is performed.

Pothole repairs scheduled for US 89 just north of Flagstaff

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FLAGSTAFF — Travelers heading southbound on US 89 just north of Flagstaff may encounter delays through Doney Park just north of Flagstaff, as ADOT maintenance crews repair potholes in the area.

The work will take place on the southbound lanes of US 89 between mileposts 426 to 429, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Wednesday (May 4- 6). Drivers are asked to use caution while in the construction area and to be alert for ADOT maintenance crew and observe potential lane closures or speed reductions while work is underway.

ADOT receives environmental award for San Pedro bridge replacement near Sierra Vista

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adot-logo-03aPHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation has been recognized for its environmental protection efforts while rebuilding the San Pedro Bridge through a sensitive conservation area on State Route 90 east of Sierra Vista.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation’s annual Globe Awards this month highlighted ADOT’s work to protect the natural environment during a nearly two-year reconstruction.

Throughout the project, ADOT employed a biologist to monitor construction impacts on the river as well as the more than 200 animal species and 250 migratory bird species in the area.

While the bridge replacement began in October 2012, work halted the following April through October to avoid disrupting the migratory bird season in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.

Other environmental mitigation measures included a containment plan to prevent debris from contaminating the San Pedro, along with lead paint abatement before the old bridge was demolished. Also, the project included re-seeding vegetation and planting trees.

“ADOT worked to be good stewards of the environment from the planning all the way through the construction of the new San Pedro Bridge,” said Safford District Engineer Bill Harmon. “This environmental award demonstrates ADOT can preserve nature while improving the area’s transportation system.”

The Globe Award recognizes transportation agencies that do an outstanding job protecting the environment in the planning, design and construction of infrastructure projects. The recognition was in the category of bridges costing less than $10 million.

The San Pedro Bridge is an important link between the communities of Sierra Vista, Tombstone and Bisbee. The old bridge, built in 1955, was replaced with a structure featuring wider travel lanes, emergency shoulders and greater clearance over the San Pedro River. The $6.2 million project was completed in March 2014.

Overnight work Sunday night on Interstate 17 for pavement work

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The Arizona Department of Transportation will perform routine pavement maintenance overnight on northbound Interstate 17 at the Sunset Point traffic interchange (milepost 252) on Sunday, May 3 between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Drivers traveling through the work zone will be required to use the off and on-ramp at Sunset Point to continue on northbound I-17 during work hours. Minimal delays expected.

Crews will also be working on southbound I-17 near the Bumble Bee traffic interchange (mileposts 246 to 249) on a three-mile segment for pavement repair on May 3 that will require a lane restriction between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The speed limit through the work zones will be reduced to 45 mph during work hours.

Paving project on Interstate 17 between SR 169 and Middle Verde begins tonight

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PRESCOTT — The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin an overnight paving project tonight, April 29 on Interstate 17 to repave a 12-mile segment between State Route 169 and the Middle Verde traffic interchange (mileposts 279 to 291).

Work hours are Sunday through Thursday, 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. each day. This week, crews will place temporary concrete barrier at the General Crook exit (milepost 285). The speed limit will be reduced in the work zone to 55 mph, minimal delays expected.

This $7.5 million project consists of the removal of a layer of the existing pavement, repaving the roadway, bridge work and shoulder improvements. Work is expected to be complete by September.

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.

Work on Route 66 to 64 begins

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640-rt66work-15-04-21-18WILLIAMS — Paving work has begun on the Route 66 to Route 64 exchange area near Bearizona Wildlife Park. Caution is advised while traveling through a construction zone and you can expect delays.