Mystery surrounds tree near I-17

The "mystery tree" near I-17 has survived another fire.

It’s not often that a tree gets wrapped up in a mystery, but a lot of unanswered questions surround one Juniper growing next to I-17.

Some Arizonans might already know about the tree – it’s actually sort of famous around the state and even has its own Wikipedia page. Sitting in the middle of the median, just north of the Sunset Point rest area, around milepost 254, this is the tree that’s secretly decorated around Christmas and the Fourth of July. For years, no one has been able to figure out who is responsible.

Earlier this month something else happened that’s equally puzzling …

On Aug. 3, the 20-foot high tree survived a brush fire that had already consumed much of the vegetation around it. Flames got so close to the tree that plastic pipes situated near the trunk were melted (the pipes serve as a watering system and were put there presumably by the same people who stealthily decorate the tree each year).

Tiny camera captures bird’s eye view of girder installation

If you’ve been following along in the blog, you know that we’ve been chronicling ADOT’s reconstruction of the Mescal/J-Six bridge in southern Arizona since it was severely damaged when two semi trucks collided underneath it back in March. Completion of the fast-tracked bridge reconstruction is slated for later this month.

Last week, crews installed 35,000-50,000 pound girders and our video team wanted to explore a creative way to take you behind the scenes of what goes into placing a 25-ton piece of concrete.

Here's a shot of the GoPro in action. The inset photo
gives you an idea of how small the camera really is.

To get the perfect shot, they looked to a GoPro® Hero. GoPros are tiny (1.6” x 2.4” x 1.2”, 3.3 oz) HD cameras that let photographers get some incredible shots they never would have been able to otherwise. 

Conditions weren’t exactly ideal (check out our Facebook page for pictures of the tarantula and other creepy crawlers that joined their shoot and the extreme weather that loomed in the distance), but they couldn’t miss a chance to secure a GoPro to one of those massive girders! (You might want to sit down before watching this one…it may make you a little dizzy.)

Westbound HOV lanes on Loop 101 aren't open yet, but they will be soon

The Loop 101 HOV project is more than 80 percent complete. By November
all 30 miles of new HOV lanes will be open along the Loop 101.

If you live and drive the Loop 101 in the West and North Valley you probably noticed the first stretch of HOV lanes on the eastbound Loop 101 recently opened. These new lanes already have helped to ease congestion in the North Valley, especially during the morning commute.

You may have also noticed that the westbound HOV lanes appear to be done as well, but are not opened. ADOT has not decided to taunt you – these lanes aren’t open yet for a reason.

A little background on the project...
The Loop 101 HOV lane project will add 30 miles of HOV lanes along Loop 101 from I-10 to SR 51.

ADOT already has added HOV lanes to Loop 101 in the East Valley between SR 51 and Loop 202  during the past three years. The completion of final 30 miles in the West Valley will give drivers more than 60 miles of uninterrupted HOV access!

ADOT puts some of Arizona’s abundant sunshine to good use!

A top view of the solar panels.

When prices at the pump started to spike a couple years ago, ADOT began looking at ways to cut fuel costs for the 4,200 vehicles in its fleet. And, believe it or not, the idea for a very promising solution came from the roof of a pretend cop car … well, sort of.

Around two years ago ADOT Assistant Director John Nichols was contacted by a company with a new product to demonstrate. It was a stand-in law enforcement vehicle touted as an item that could help ADOT save money. The premise was that it would alleviate the need for a real law enforcement officer at construction sites.

It wasn’t going to work for ADOT, but Nichols had a look and was intrigued by the lights on top of this fiberglass shell of a vehicle. They stayed on even though the car had no engine.

They were powered, he was told, by solar energy and a large pack of lead acid batteries. The solar panels were on the outside of the vehicle and the rest of the mechanism was hidden in the “car.”

It was about this same time that Nichols was involved with ADOT’s efforts to cut fuel costs. In an attempt to find out where fuel-use could efficiently be limited, 117 ADOT vehicles were equipped with a device that provided data on aspects of the vehicle’s operation. It could tell things like average speed, location and even the amount of time ADOT vehicle engines spent idling.

Thousands of tumbling tumbleweeds roll into wash

An ADOT Highway Operations Supervisor came across a sight Monday morning that he’s never seen before …

As he was driving by Jeddito Wash on SR 87, Elliott Koinva noticed that thousands of tumbleweeds had clustered together to form a kind of solid wall.

“The wash is about 15 feet deep and about 20 feet wide,” Koinva said. “The whole wash was filled with tumbleweeds.”

He suspects an overnight storm north of the wash must have carried the tumbleweeds down. There were so many tumbleweeds that a box culvert got clogged and some flooding occurred.

Although there normally are a lot of tumbleweeds in this area, near Second Mesa, Monday morning’s occurrence was something extraordinary.

“This was the first time this has happened,” Koinva said. “I was surprised.”

ADOT’s Holbrook District Superinendent Lindy Sherrer says ADOT crews will use pitch forks to start clearing out the box culvert. Because the area’s flooded, machinery won’t be used until some of the water drains away.

Oversize load safely crosses bridge, makes it to destination on time

Now that you know a little about the ADOT permitting process involved with moving oversize loads, take a look at the latest heavy haul to cross Arizona’s highways.

The video above shows just a portion of the journey this 285-ton load took beginning the first week of August.

The giant anode, which is used in the electrical process for refining copper, traveled 380 miles from its start in Salt Lake City all the way to the mining town of Miami, east of Phoenix. At 225-feet long, 20-feet wide and about 19-feet high, this oversize load was the largest to cross the new Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge ... so far!

The video shows the anode as it cautiously makes its way along SR 188 across the Theodore Roosevelt Lake Bridge. Just a few hours later and after a lot of coordination, careful planning and 14 days of slow travel (the top speed uphill was just 15 mph), the heavy load made it to its destination on schedule to the Freeport-McMohan mine in Miami!

A new look at memorable I-10 bridge demos

Last week we gave you an update on how the new Mescal/J-Six bridge is coming along...

You might also remember that the night the damaged bridge was taken down, the old Marsh Station bridge was also demolished just a few miles away. It was a huge project that required completely shutting down I-10 for the night.

Check out the video above for a quick look at the work involved with tearing down two bridges in less than 10 hours.

Cleaning, maintenance all part of I-10 tunnel upkeep

With roughly 240,000 vehicles driving through it each day, the I-10 Deck Park Tunnel needs the night off every once in a while for a good, thorough scrub!

Just about every four months, the tunnel is closed to traffic in order to allow crews the chance to wash the walls, maintain the ventilation systems and check on the tunnel’s 3,700 light fixtures (about 150-200 light bulbs are changed out each quarter!).

Crews typically complete the cleaning over two nights. That means only one side of the tunnel needs to be closed each night … leaving the other direction open to traffic.

Cleaning the white tile walls not only gives the tunnel a fresh look, but it also helps brighten things up a bit.

“We’re washing the walls and keeping them clean so the light bounces off the wall onto the deck so it makes a better drive through,” says ADOT Highway Operations Supervisor Ed Walsh in the video above.

ADOT outreach effort wins top national award

Remember when we first blogged about Arizona’s Long-Range Transportation Plan? 

It’s the plan that’s updated every five years and helps set ADOT’s priorities when it comes to the state’s transportation needs over the next 25 years.

You might also remember that in an effort to get significant feedback about where Arizonans would like to see their transportation dollars spent, ADOT tried something a little different in terms of public involvement.

Steering away from the traditional public meeting route, we launched an extensive outreach campaign – coined What Moves You Arizona  – as a coordinated effort to communicate information about the multibillion-dollar gap between the state’s transportation needs over the next 25 years and anticipated revenue.

What Moves You Arizona offered a way to reach out to as many people as possible and give everyone the opportunity to have their voice heard – the opportunity for Arizonans to tell ADOT what was important to them regarding the future of transportation in their state.

Better safe than sorry: Arizona school zones aim to provide safe crossings

By Kohinoor Kar and Mike Cynecki
Guest Bloggers

The need for pedestrian and bicyclist safety at schools, especially involving young students, cannot be overemphasized. While federal, state and local agencies are encouraging fit and healthy lifestyles by promoting walking and biking to school, the safety of these children should be our highest priority.

Arizona has been a leader in providing a system for safe school crossings, and there is some important information motorists should know while driving around schools in our communities.

Arizona has a unique way to establish low-speed school zone crossings. The system was first established in 1950 through adoption of Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 28-797. This state law provides a uniform application of 15 mph school zone traffic control that can only be used for elementary and middle schools (kindergarten through eighth grades) in Arizona at authorized school crossings meeting certain minimum criteria.

“Turnin' dirt” on the Loop 303 in Surprise

Think back to 1984. You might recall that the United States hosted the summer Olympics in Los Angeles and Michael Jackson’s Thriller snagged eight Grammy Awards. It’s also when the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) identified the need for a West Valley regional connector freeway later to be dubbed Loop 303.

After years of scoping, study, assessment, public input and design the Loop 303 is taking shape in the West Valley. In May, a four-lane section between Interstate 17 and Happy Valley Parkway opened; and, just last week, preliminary construction work began on the next leg in Surprise, between Mountain View Boulevard (just south of U.S. 60/Grand Avenue) and Peoria Avenue.

Many who live and work in the northwest valley have been eagerly waiting for ADOT to “turn dirt” on this six-mile segment of new highway. Right now, crews are establishing water sources so they can pre-wet the ground before excavation; surveying the alignment so utilities can be relocated; and clearing the work zone of weeds and debris. In the weeks to come, the area will become an active work zone, with construction occurring on the roadway and on new bridges throughout the six-mile area simultaneously.

Repairs to damaged bridge set to finish by fall

Crews put the finishing touches on the shoring that will support the pier cap on the newly
reconstructed columns. The old columns were severely damaged by fire on March 15.

The new Mescal Road/J-Six interchange is taking shape!

The Cochise County bridge will soon reunite two communities that were unexpectedly disconnected after trucks collided beneath the old overpass in March.

After a fast-paced pre-construction process, work to rebuild the bridge began in early July. Just one month in, the hard-working crews from Vastco Inc. have constructed the bridge columns next to the eastbound lanes and erected shoring on those new columns to pour a new pier cap, and completed the pier caps atop the other columns that survived the fiery crash.

Moving oversize loads requires big effort

This anode is making its way through Arizona Aug. 9-16. The
oversize load is roughly 225-feet long, 20-feet wide, 19-feet
high and weighs 285 tons. Check out our Facebook page
for more photos, courtesy of Precision Heavy Haul, Inc.

When it comes to describing some hauls, the term “oversize load” is a major understatement.

We’re talking about the enormous “super-loads” driven through the state each day. Maybe you’ve seen them on the freeways … they’re the trucks lugging gigantic transformers, generators, turbines, and even houseboats.

Moving these mammoth objects requires acts almost as big the loads themselves. Coordinating these moves takes massive amounts of work and cooperation, and because they travel on state roads, highways and freeways, ADOT is involved from the very start of the trek.

Before they can hit the road, the hauler for each oversize/overweight load has to apply for a permit to drive on Arizona highways. These “super-loads” often fall into the Class C category, defined by loads that are either in excess of 250,000 pounds, measure more than 120 feet in length, 16 feet in height or 14 feet in width.

The permit applications ask the hauler to specify travel routes along with the more technical stuff – like how many trailer axles will be used to spread the weight.

All this is thoroughly reviewed by ADOT’s Merlinda Chavez and Chris Pippin. All Class C permit applications in Arizona go through them. (They’ve got quite a workload – in June alone, they issued 538 Class C permits!) They analyze all the specs and make sure a load can safely make it along its route. They also communicate with various ADOT district engineers to make sure current road conditions and construction projects are accounted for in the final route.

“There is a lot that goes into oversize loads,” Pippin said. “But, the No. 1 thing this department is all about is safety.”

Research Center guides ADOT toward transportation innovation

The ADOT Research Center studies ways to
 improve transportation in Arizona.

Much has changed since ADOT got its start in 1927.

Back then, the agency was known as the Arizona State Highway Department and roads certainly were built a little differently. Methods, materials and technology have changed so much since then.

Amazingly, they’re still evolving today …

ADOT keeps up with transportation advancements through research. The ADOT Research Center oversees that research, which is aimed at improving all aspects of transportation in the state and beyond.

But, don’t think the studies and research produced by this team just sit on a shelf once completed.

The information generated by ADOT’s Research Center focuses on evaluating new materials and methods. ADOT’s researchers look at developing design and analysis techniques and study the underlying causes of transportation problems.

In other words, this research leads to better methods, innovative practices and new ways of doing things, giving Arizonans a better value when it comes to transportation!

Westbound I-10 down to one lane this weekend as crews do "tons" of work



This photo taken in May shows the project construction.

Heading into the Valley this weekend? Give yourself some extra travel time.

Westbound Interstate 10 into metro Phoenix will be narrowed to one lane between Wild Horse Pass and Chandler boulevards from 10 p.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 5-6).

Heavy delays are possible (okay…heavy delays are likely!).

We’re encouraging motorists to make their drive into the Valley before or after this uber-restriction or use an alternate route (suggested route at the end of this post).

At ADOT, we understand that this weekend’s restrictions will be tough on drivers (we’re drivers, too!). But as bothersome as they can be, restrictions are necessary to keep motorists and workers safe, especially when crews must do – literally – tons of work in a short period of time.

Crews this weekend will be working around the clock to shift the westbound I-10 travel lanes, which have been detoured since November, back to their original configuration.

This means moving 2 million pounds of temporary concrete barrier off the roadway. Each section of the solid-concrete barrier is 20 feet long and weighs five tons. At minimum this requires two forklifts, 16 people and 40 trucks.

Big construction projects call for detailed plans

ADOT's Contracts and Specifications office
handles project plans. These came
 in at about 1,700 pages!

Our communication team moved offices recently, and when I walked into our new building this morning, this is what I saw…

Having no idea what this wall of giant blue tubes was, I decided to do a little poking around and share what I could find out here on the blog.

Luckily, I didn’t need to go very far to get the answer.

Right next door to where I work is ADOT’s Contracts and Specifications office. There, I talked with support staff, who told me the blue tubes are actually construction plans that are rolled up and ready to go to contractors. These specific plans are for a project that will construct a six-mile stretch of Loop 303 between Mountain View Boulevard and Peoria Avenue (by the way, we’ll have more details on this project in a blog post planned for Aug. 11).

Since that project is so comprehensive, the plans are pretty big – roughly 1,700 pages! Plans for other ADOT projects are housed in the Contracts and Specifications office, too. Not all projects are of this scale, so most of the plans are smaller than what’s pictured above.

The Loop 303 project has already been awarded to a contractor and work is under way, but most of the plans in the office are for projects that recently have been advertised by ADOT for bids.

ADOT serves as safety oversight for rail transit

Firefighters and other emergency crews participated in a
mock emergency near Tempe Town Lake. The drill was
conducted by METRO.

There’s so much to be said for rail transit – the future of this efficient mode of transportation is pretty exciting.

In Arizona steps are being taken toward that future with the operation of METRO Light Rail and the anticipated launch of Tucson’s modern streetcar project.

While ADOT is not responsible for rail transit in the state, the agency does play an important role …

Back in the early 1990s, work began on a federal level to establish a method of ensuring the safety and security of rail transit. That led to the Federal Transit Administration’s creation of the State Safety Oversight Rule in 1995. It sets forth requirements to improve rail transit safety and security and gives the states the authority to take on oversight.



That’s where ADOT comes in.