Category Archives: Arizona Department of Transportation

McGuireville Rest Area work continues next week

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Motorists traveling on Interstate 17 need to be aware that the northbound McGuireville rest area entrance will be closed on Thursday, April 2 between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. as crews work on the roadway, forcing the closure of the rest area.

Alternating lane restrictions in both directions are expected between 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. between mileposts 294 and 299 starting on Monday, March 30 through Friday, April 3. The rest area will remain open during construction with the exception of Thursday, April 2.

Work will be day and night on State Route 87 through the end of April

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Drivers heading northbound on State Route 87 today north of Sunflower between mileposts 223 and 229 will be shifted onto a single lane of the southbound lanes, which will become a two-lane roadway through the work zone. The traffic shift will be in effect through Wednesday, April 1 to allow crews to mill and pave the northbound lanes. Drivers northbound will be intermittently stopped starting at 5 p.m. tonight as crews relocate concrete barrier and allow for the scheduled traffic shift. Delays of up to 15 minutes are expected.

Starting today, crews will work on a 24-hour, six days a week (Monday through Saturday) schedule through April 20 to ensure the project will be done before the Memorial Day weekend. With the exception of this weekend, crews will be working today through April 1 (Friday through Wednesday).

On April 2, the traffic will be back to one lane in each direction. As work continues, a 10-foot width restriction will be in place through April 20. Project completion is expected to be open May 15.

Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra time to reach their destinations and proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel. The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage.

The $6.2 million safety improvement project, which began in October, approximately seven miles south of the State Route 188 junction, includes the reconstruction of an existing curve at milepost 227, as well as building a new northbound truck escape ramp at milepost 228. Runaway truck ramps offer an opportunity for out-of-control trucks, which may have inoperable brakes, to safely exit the highway and come to a controlled stop.

Congressional proposal formally extends I-11 to Southern Arizona

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PHOENIX –– As planning for the Interstate 11 and Intermountain West Corridor advances, Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski today expressed appreciation for the efforts of U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. Senator Jeff Flake for their work to introduce the Intermountain West Corridor Development Act of 2015 to Congress.

The bill formally extends Interstate 11 from Wickenburg south through the Tucson area to Nogales, Arizona. Interstate 11 had previously received a congressional designation from Phoenix to Las Vegas. The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act would not only formally designate I-11 across Arizona from border to border by establishing a new international trade corridor, but would also extend the interstate north through Nevada as well, with plans to ultimately connect with existing high-priority corridors to the Canadian border.

This act formalizes and reinforces ADOT’s overall concept for Interstate 11 in Arizona. ADOT, through its two-year feasibility study, which was completed last fall, focused on and supported the concept of Interstate 11 that runs border to border throughout Arizona, beginning at the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge and ending at the Arizona-Mexico border.

“I applaud the efforts of Senators McCain and Flake for their continued support to make Interstate 11 a reality,” said Halikowski. “As a part of ADOT’s Key Commerce Corridor plan, investment in corridors like Interstate 11 provides tremendous opportunities for Arizona to connect to other economic centers and up our game through increased trade, tourism, commerce, job growth and economic development throughout Arizona and the Intermountain West.”

The Intermountain West Corridor Development Act is also supported by Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.).

Other benefits of Interstate 11 include connections to major trade hubs and transcontinental roadways and railroad corridors, while improving safety and travel time along the north-south corridors of the western United States.

Last fall, the Arizona and Nevada departments of transportation completed an initial two-year feasibility study as the first step in the Interstate 11 process. In December, the Arizona State Transportation Board took action to approve $15 million for the Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement, which will allow ADOT to begin an environmental study in the area between Nogales and Wickenburg. The Tier 1 EIS is expected to begin later this year and is estimated to take three years to complete.

Dirt haul on SR 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley scheduled next week

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CHINO VALLEY — Traffic on State Route 89 between Prescott and Chino Valley will be required to stop intermittently next week to allow trucks to safely cross the highway.

The hauling operation will take place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday, March 30 through April 2, with intermittent closures for dirt hauling. Drivers can expect minimal delays during work hours.

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.

Upon completion of the $17 million project, ADOT will expand the two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided highway along a five-mile segment of SR 89 (mileposts 320-325) between Road 4 South in Chino Valley and Deep Well Ranch Road in Prescott, just north of the SR 89/SR 89A junction. The project is expected to be complete by August.

ADOT urges drivers to slow down, avoid distractions during National Work Zone Awareness Week

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File photo.

File photo.

PHOENIX — It is one of the most dangerous jobs across the country, that of the highway worker. Operating close to traffic subjects highway workers to safety risks, including speeding, impaired or distracted drivers. But the Arizona Department of Transportation also points to national statistics that show most victims in work zone crashes are likely to be drivers or their passengers.

“Expect the Unexpected” is the theme of this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week, which started Monday.

In 2013, the latest year for which national statistics are available, 579 people died in work zone-related crashes across the country, according to the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation. About 80 percent of those killed or injured in such crashes were drivers or their passengers.

A review of law enforcement crash reports shows 17 people were killed in Arizona work zone crashes in 2013. It was a noticeable increase over seven such fatalities in 2012 and 10 deaths in 2011.

ADOT and other U.S. transportation agencies have joined together this week to urge drivers to pay attention to signs and other warning devices, slow down and give workers plenty of space in and around work zones along highways and local roadways.

No ADOT workers have been killed in work zone crashes in recent years, and the agency wants to keep it that way.

ADOT has unveiled a new Work Zone Safety public service announcement that highlights the risks construction and maintenance crews face along highways, especially when drivers don’t heed lowered speed limits in work zones. The video shows a close call for a paving crew as a speeding recreational vehicle passes by them.

“A tragedy can occur at any moment within a work zone,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “Our highway workers are somebody’s family member. We’re asking you to slow down and pay attention so those workers can make it home safely to their families at the end of the day.”

State Route 347/Union Pacific Railroad Final Environmental Assessment approved

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation, in partnership with the city of Maricopa, the Union Pacific Railroad and the Federal Highway Administration, has received federal approval for the proposed bridge project on State Route 347 over the railroad crossing, clearing the way for the project to move forward when funding is available.

On March 18, the Federal Highway Administration issued a Finding of No Significant Impact after reviewing the Final Environmental Assessment, the definitive decision-making document federally required for the project.

This grants the final approval necessary for ADOT to begin the process of acquiring right of way, completing the design and beginning construction when funding is available.

The environmental review process, which includes preparing the draft and final environmental assessments, was conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

The estimated $55 million project is intended to alleviate traffic backups at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing in Pinal County by replacing the existing at-grade intersection with an overpass on SR 347, which is the only direct route between the city of Maricopa and metro Phoenix, so vehicle and train traffic do not impede one another.

More than 40 trains run daily through the middle of Maricopa, which has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the nation. Future plans call for more than 100 trains to pass through Maricopa daily.

In June 2014, the project was added to ADOT’s Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program, including $18.8 million for design and right-of-way acquisition and $36.2 million for construction in fiscal year 2020:

  • FY 2015:$5.5 million allocated for design and $500,000 allocated for right of way
  • FY 2016: $5.5 million allocated for right of way
  • FY 2017: $7.3 million allocated for right of way
  • FY 2020: $36.2 million for construction

For more information on the SR 347 project, including a computer-generated video of the proposed grade separation, please visit the project webpage: azdot.gov/sr347.

Day work requires minimal delays this week on US 93 west of Wickenburg

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Work continues on the expansion project on US 93 (mileposts 185-190) west of Wickenburg and will require minimal delays this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. as crews place temporary concrete barrier and restripe the roadway. Drivers will be guided with flaggers and stopped intermittently at various locations throughout the work zone.

ADOT began this expansion project in February to widen US 93 between State Route 71 and State Route 89. The $12.5 million project, reconstructing the highway into four lanes, is expected to be completed in 2016.

Utility work scheduled on SR 89A in Jerome for the next three weeks

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Utility work is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 23 on southbound State Route 89A in Jerome (milepost 345) as crews replace an existing waterline. The southbound lane will be closed for the next three weeks, through April 10.

Drivers in both directions will be guided through the work zone with flaggers. Work hours are Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Road will be fully open on the weekends. Minimal delays expected.

The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage.

Bridge work starting on I-40 west of Holbrook

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NOTE: We noted a lot of bridge work happening between Williams and Flagstaff on I-40. Please remember that ARS provides for double-fines for speeding through a highway construction zone.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin a project on Monday, March 23 to make improvements to the Leroux Wash Bridges on Interstate 40 just west of Holbrook.

The $1.2 million dollar project will include removing and replacing both bridges approach slabs and repairing both bridge decks. The project is anticipated to be completed this fall.

Work hours will be 7 a.m.to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Work crews will be working on both the eastbound and westbound bridges at the same time. One of the two lanes in each direction will be closed leaving one lane open for traffic. The speed limit will be reduced through the construction zone and there will be width restrictions.

Drivers are asked to use caution and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

Bridge work resumes on SR 260 east of Payson next week

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adot-logo-03aAfter upgrading five eastbound bridge approaches on State Route 260 last fall, the Arizona Department of Transportation is returning this month to replace and repave the approaches to three westbound bridges between mileposts 272-277, approximately 20 miles east of Payson.

Motorists traveling along SR 260 should allow extra travel time and be aware that westbound traffic will be shifted to the eastbound lanes, which will become a two-way roadway through the five-mile work zone, beginning on Tuesday, March 24. A 10-foot width restriction will be in place throughout construction and drivers should be aware of heavy traffic during peak travel times.

The $2.9 million improvement project, which is expected to be completed in August, includes the removal of the existing bridge approaches and departure slabs, repaving the roadway at the bridge approaches, guardrail reconstruction and the replacement of existing pavement markings.