Work wraps up on I-10 (Papago Freeway) in West Valley

Improvements to the 13-mile section of I-10 started in 2008
and finished up earlier this month. (Click the map for a larger view.)

The wait is over!

After more than three years since work first started, West Valley motorists now have a new and improved drive on I-10 as it stretches through Buckeye, Goodyear, Avondale and Tolleson.

Construction was completed in a series of projects that were all part of the Maricopa Association of Governments’ Regional Transportation Plan. ADOT worked with MAG and local communities in finalizing funding for the work, part of which included American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 funds or federal stimulus funds.

Work to improve this 13-mile section of freeway began in February 2008 and just finished up earlier this month. The goal was to enhance safety and commute times while also making economic development accessible and appealing along the corridor.

Take a look at what was involved with the three I-10 widening projects …

SR 260 improvements under way

State Route 260 – the road so often taken by Arizonans seeking a quick trip to cooler climates – is undergoing improvements, which will make its scenic drive a little smoother for motorists!

ADOT started construction earlier this year on the project that’s aimed at improving SR 260 between mileposts 269 and 272, just west of the Christopher Creek Campground. This portion is known as the Doubtful Canyon section and sits roughly 20 miles east of Payson.

The plan is to reconstruct the existing two-lane undivided roadway into a four-lane divided highway. As we showed yesterday, work is well under way.

Blasts along SR 260 necessary in widening project

Some terrain is so rough and rocky that even heavy-duty machinery can’t break through.

That was the case last Thursday when ADOT crews used more than 7,000 lbs. of explosives to remove roughly 8,000 cubic yards of material along SR 260, about 20 miles east of Payson.

And, they’re not done, yet …

ADOT is working to widen the three-mile stretch of two-lane undivided roadway into a four-lane, divided highway. By the time this project finishes next fall, roughly one million cubic yards of dirt and rocks will have been removed. Crews are using bulldozers and excavators where they can, but blasting is the only way to get through some the rockier spots.

For the blast in the video above, 179 holes were drilled and then filled with the 7,354 lbs of Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil, a type of explosive commonly used on projects like this. The blasts are set off with a charge from a wire detonated from a safe distance.

More blasting will be necessary for this project. Information on the regular, temporary closures scheduled for SR 260 can be found here.

 

Check back tomorrow for another video with additional details on this project and the improvements planned and even more explosive footage of the blast.

ADOT seeks public comments on SR 77

We want to hear from you!

Public involvement is the key to designing a roadway that improves traffic flow and enhances safety. As ADOT works with the Federal Highway Administration and the Regional Transportation Authority to widen Oracle Road (SR 77) from Tangerine Road to the Pinal County line, our ears are open to comments, questions and concerns.

Proposed improvements include widening Oracle Road from two lanes to three lanes in each direction. This work will tie into the recently widened section of the highway from Calle Concordia to Tangerine Road.

Other proposed improvements include:

• 10-foot-wide shoulders (7-foot-wide with curb in Catalina) for cyclists
• Rubberized asphalt
• Raised center medians and left-turn lanes in the Catalina area
• Traffic signal improvements
• Drainage improvements
• Replacing shared-use path on the east side of Oracle Road from Wilds Road to Mainsail Boulevard
• Retaining walls and noise walls (if required by environmental study)
• Three wildlife crossing structures to allow wildlife to migrate safely between the Santa Catalina and Tortolita mountains, without crossing the roadway at street level. (The crossing structures are made possible through the RTA and are planned to coincide with the ADOT project).

So, how can you get your voice heard? Contact Linda Ritter, ADOT’s Senior Community Relations Officer, at 520-388-4266. To e-mail your comments, or to find out more information on SR 77, visit the project webpage. Public comments are an important part of the project!

Construction zone lane lines explained

HOV lanes are being built on the  Loop 202 (Santan) Freeway in Chandler.
Travel lanes have been shifted to create a safe construction zone. A faint
pavement "scar" can be seen here.

With the number of road construction projects happening around the Valley right now, chances are you’ve driven through an active construction zone or two recently.

Maybe you’ve noticed the lane lines in some of these construction zones look a little different. A little … temporary?

That’s because they probably are.

Before work can even begin on some projects, travel lanes must be re-configured in the work zone so motorists can drive around construction and on through to their destination. This is a temporary shift, but necessary for a productive and safe work zone.

Work is complete on this section of the Loop 202 (Santan) Freeway in Chandler
near Alma School Road. The pavement "scars" are gone.

Shifting the configuration of the travel lanes is a two-step process.

First, ADOT crews grind out the existing lane lines. Next, workers use a temporary-tape product to re-stripe the roadway into its temporary configuration for construction.

The grinding process can leave behind a pavement “scar,” which can appear to some motorists as a lane line, especially when the sun hits the pavement at certain angles. Some drivers might even observe two visible sets of lane markings because they are seeing the pavement scars and the temporary-tape lane lines.

"Move Over" law now covers all vehicles on the side of the road

The "Move Over" law now pertains to all
stationary vehicles on the side of the road.

Ever been stuck on the side of the road?

Perhaps a flat tire was to blame, or maybe an overheated engine forced you to pull over. Whatever the reason, most will agree the side of a busy freeway is not the ideal parking spot.

Since 2005, a law has been in place that aims to protect authorized emergency vehicles on the side of the road by making it a requirement that other drivers move over into a farther lane if possible to give a little space for safety.

But, starting July 20, the law will be amended to include the same precautions for any stationary vehicle – that includes tow-truck drivers, emergency personnel, stranded motorists, ADOT employees and anyone else in a vehicle on the side of the road.

Commonly known as the “Move Over” law, the amended ARS 28-775 states that if a person driving a vehicle approaches a stationary vehicle giving a signal or displaying warning (hazard) lights, the person shall do one of the following:

U.S. Bicycle Route to serve as link between states

This booklet and other resources for

bicyclists can be found through ADOT's 

Bicycle & Pedestrian Program webpage.

On Wednesday we told you about ADOT’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Program, today we want to direct your attention to efforts being made in creating a U.S. Bicycle Route System.

ADOT will play a role in determining some specific routes in the U.S. Bicycle Route System. A partnership between state DOTs, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and Adventure Cycling Association, the system is a proposed national network of bicycle routes that span multiple states.

According to ADOT’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator Michael Sanders, three Arizona corridors have been defined. It’s up to ADOT to determine specific routes along these corridors to best accommodate long-distance cyclists. Those routes will include cities and towns and will require some coordination.

“It will tie into the local street system, so we will have to coordinate efforts (with local governments),” Sanders said. “We’ll be working with all those other entities, plus other states.”

Sanders and Richard Moeur, an ADOT traffic design manager and chair of the AASHTO Task Force on U.S. Bicycle Routes (read more about his role here), recently met with Ginny Sullivan, USBRS coordinator at Adventure Cycling, for a tour of some potential routes. Click here for a great account of their trip.

ADOT project will help make trips to the airport smoother, faster

This map shows planned improvements
to the SR 143/Sky Harbor Boulevard
Traffic Interchange. For information on
travel restrictions during construction,
click here.

Few situations are as stressful as hitting traffic on your way to the airport … especially if you’re holding on to that non-refundable ticket for a trip out of town.

But, with more than 100,000 passengers arriving at and departing from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport each day, there’s bound to be some congestion every once in a while.

That’s why ADOT is working on reconstructing the State Route 143/Sky Harbor Boulevard Traffic Interchange to improve access to and from the airport.

This project includes the addition of southbound auxiliary lanes, which allow motorists the ability to merge or continue to the next exit, as well as new interchange ramps and signage.

The two new ramps are being constructed on SR 143 to help commuters get directly in and out of the airport … that direct access should cut a few minutes off drivers’ commutes!

A third ramp will connect commuters traveling on westbound Sky Harbor Blvd. directly onto southbound SR 143 … this should help ease the traffic congestion at the intersection of Sky Harbor Blvd. and SR 143 by allowing drivers to bypass the intersection all together and gain quicker access to I-10.

The project also includes the reconstruction of a ramp on the east side of SR 143 to make for a safer and smoother roadway.

Sharing the road

Motorists aren’t the only ones who get to use the state’s highways … bicyclists and pedestrians have a right to the road, too!

Of course, not all roads are open to pedestrians and bicyclists – pedestrians are prohibited from walking along all controlled-access highways. Bicyclists are permitted by ADOT policy to ride on the shoulders of controlled-access highways, except where prohibited. That means freeways and some segments of interstate highways are off-limits to bicyclists. Signs will be posted at on-ramps to indicate if bicyclists are not allowed. (Bicyclists and pedestrians should always remember to use reasonable caution when riding or walking near vehicle traffic.)

ADOT’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Program tries to make it a little easier for everyone to share the streets. One of the primary ways it aims to do this is through education.

Just visit the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program website for a glimpse of the multimedia materials available to inform and educate bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists…

ADOT publishes a few great guides that simplify the rules. “Arizona Bicycling Street Smarts,” “Sharing the Road with Pedestrians” and “Share the Road: a guide for bicyclists and motorists” are available in print and online. They offer safety tips and information on the laws. (Did you know that the law states a motorist attempting to pass a bicyclist must give the bike and its rider at least three feet clearance?)

A bicycle user map also is available in print and online. It outlines the conditions of roads and highways in Arizona and offers information pertinent to bike riders.

Besides publishing educational materials, ADOT also studies and plans ways to accommodate walking and bicycling while improving safety, education and enforcement programs.

ADOT plays role in airport development

Airports may not be the first thing most people think of when it comes to ADOT … but the Arizona Department of Transportation actually plays an important role in aeronautics and the development of airports across the state.

Just like automobiles, all aircraft based in Arizona must be registered with MVD. Those registration fees, along with flight property, aircraft dealer licensing and aviation fuel taxes – paid by pilots and aircraft owners – go toward the state aviation fund.

Each year that fund is used to assist eligible airports in the state’s system.

One of the main ways ADOT’s Aeronautics Group does this is by awarding grants to airports for projects identified in the Airport Capital Improvement Plan. 

This five-year plan is created in conjunction with airports and the Federal Aviation Administration. It is annually reviewed and approved by the State Transportation Board.

Airports can receive state-funded grants that require a small percentage of matching funds, or, they can receive grants from the FAA.

Those federal funds require the airport to come up with matching funds, too. However, some projects are eligible for some assistance with those matching funds – the state’s aviation fund will kick in half of the airport’s required match – making big projects relatively affordable for some of our state's smaller airports. Click here to see a list of recently approved projects.

Design-build projects satisfy the need for speed (and save money, too)

In less than a year, spectacular ramps and bridges have risen from bare ground in the southeast Valley. By this fall, they’ll link 12 miles of new high occupancy vehicle lanes on the Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) with Interstate 10 and the Loop 101 (Price Freeway) in Chandler -- see the project's progress in the slide show above.

On the other side of the Valley, crews are adding new HOV lanes - and improving three bridges - on the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) from I-10 near Avondale to I-17 in north Phoenix. In just six months, they have built and paved 18 miles of the 30-mile project and are eyeing completion by this fall.

Both of these projects are utilizing the “design-build” (D/B) method of delivery – and proving that D/B can yield big results in a relatively small amount of time. That’s why D/B is one of the “alternative delivery methods” that ADOT uses for freeway projects when doing so makes sense.

The D/B concept involves pairing a design team with a construction team to create one, synergistic entity that delivers a freeway project from beginning to end.

This differs from the more traditional “design-bid-build concept” where one firm designs a project that is then put out to bid and awarded to a construction company to build.

Contractors that bid on ADOT’s D/B projects must not only meet quality standards, but also demonstrate their capability to complete the project on time and on budget at a much faster and dynamic pace.

Attenuators offer safety on the freeway

Attenuators act as a barrier between traffic and ADOT
crews. Check out the slide show below to see how
attenuators take an impact.

Sometimes the simplest concepts work the best.

Take for example the truck-mounted attenuator. Maybe you aren’t too familiar with them, but chances are you’ve seen one when driving on the freeway.

They’re the big rectangle-shaped “boxes” attached to the back of certain ADOT trucks. And, while the attenuators may not look fancy or impressive, they save lives.

“Anytime we’re going to be working on the side of the road, we use them,” said ADOT Maintenance Superintendent/ALERT Supervisor Tom Donithan.

Inside the attenuator “box” is just a honeycomb configuration of aluminum, Styrofoam and air space, according to Donithan.

Attenuators act as a kind of shield that stands between freeway traffic and ADOT crews. If a motorist travels into a freeway work site they’ll hit the attenuator instead of a heavy truck, or ADOT workers.

While it’s likely not a soft landing, the attenuator is designed to take the impact and crumples together as it absorbs the energy of the vehicle.

MVD assists returning soldiers

On June 6, more than 300 soldiers with the 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion returned home to Ft. Huachuca after serving in Iraq for the past year.

These soldiers were welcomed by family, friends and community – but, many also were greeted with the fact that there is so much to take care after you’ve been away from home for 12 months.

“There are a lot of things that a soldier needs to do when they get back,” said Colonel Patrick Dedham, Brigade Commander, 11th Signal Brigade, in the video above. “First they have to reintegrate into their life as a soldier here at Ft. Huachuca, their life as maybe a husband, or a wife. There’s also all the administrative things they need to do.”

It was the administrative tasks that soldiers received assistance with through a Reverse Soldier Readiness Process event held at Ft. Huachuca.

The process is intended to help the soldiers shift back into life stateside and ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division participated by assisting with driver license issues and vehicle title and registration concerns.

MVD employees can handle everything on-site, except for processing. For that final step the soldier is given a return letter, which they can take to the nearby MVD office for expedited service and no waiting in line.

MVD Southern Regional Manager Esther Perez was on hand for the Reverse Soldier Readiness Process and the homecoming event celebrating the return of the soldiers.

“It was a touching moment,” she said of seeing all the family reunions taking place. “Tears come to your eyes. … They’re protecting the country, so we’re here to do what we need to help them.”