FLAGSTAFF – Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff will be narrowed to one lane from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 22, for paving. Work is scheduled to occur between mileposts 340 and 338.
Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment.
PAGE – Motorists traveling on US 89 to Page should allow extra time while surface sealant is applied on a nine-mile segment of the roadway just south of Horseshoe Bend Overlook. Work will occur between mileposts 537 and 546 during daylight hours Wednesday, May 17, and Thursday, May 18.
The roadway will be reduced to one lane with a pilot car guiding alternating traffic through the work zone. Drivers should observe reduced speed limits and watch for construction personnel and equipment in the work zone.
PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is seeking public input on proposed goals for the percentage value of federal-aid contract dollars won by firms certified for its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
In an update required every three years, ADOT is proposing that 9.55 percent of total dollars in contracts funded by the Federal Highway Administration go to DBE firms during fiscal years 2018, 2019 and 2020. The agency anticipates that 5 percent will be achieved through small-business programs and other efforts that are neutral when it comes to race and gender, and that 4.55 percent will be achieved through contract goals.
ADOT’s current DBE goal for Federal Highway Administration-funded contracts is 8.9 percent, and the agency has exceeded that goal during the past two fiscal years.
The proposed goal, which will be submitted this summer to the Federal Highway Administration and go into effect Oct. 1, stems from a recently completed draft DBE Availability Study that also sets goals for DBE participation in Federal Aviation Administration contracts from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2021 and Federal Transit Administration contracts from fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2022.
For Federal Aviation Administration-funded contracts, ADOT has proposed an overall DBE goal of 8.05 percent, to be achieved through efforts that are neutral when it comes to race and gender. For Federal Transit Administration-funded contracts, ADOT’s preliminary DBE goal of 2.79 percent, to be achieved through efforts that are neutral when it comes to race and gender, will be re-examined prior to submission to that agency in 2019.
ADOT offers several ways for business representatives and other interested stakeholders to provide input on these proposed goals and the draft DBE Availability Study, and to offer suggestions for improving contracting opportunities for DBEs and other small businesses.
ADOT has scheduled the following public hearings:
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road, Tucson
4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday, June 15, at the ADOT Business Engagement and Compliance Office, 1801 W. Jefferson St., Suite 101, Phoenix
At any time during the public comment period, which begins Monday, May 15, and lasts through Thursday, June 22, the public also can provide comments through:
During the public comment period, all documents related to the proposed goals and the draft DBE Availability Study are available for review during regular business hours at the ADOT Business Engagement and Compliance Office, 1801 W. Jefferson St., Suite 101, in Phoenix.
All public comments will be reviewed before ADOT submits final DBE goal requests to the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Transit Administration.
Now is the time to comment on the Arizona Department of Transportation’s recommended plan for the next five years of construction projects.
ADOT is getting ready to hold its third and final public hearing this week on the 2018-2022 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program. Comments can be submitted online as well through May 30.
This comment period helps ADOT and the State Transportation Board, which reviews and approves the program, learn which highway projects are most important to members of the public and communities statewide.
The third public hearing for the Tentative Five-Year Program is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, May 19, in the ADOT Auditorium, 206 S. 17th Ave. in Phoenix. The monthly State Transportation Board meeting will follow the public hearing.
The Tentative Five-Year Program outlines proposed projects and improvements to the state highway system over the next five years. The program is updated annually and designates how much local, state and federal funding is allocated for projects for highways, bridges, transit and aviation.
Many of the major projects in this Tentative Program focus on improving some of Arizona’s busiest corridors. Better mobility means better daily commutes and travel for everyone. Improved roads also enhance freight movement, trade, commerce and economic development, all of which benefit the quality of life statewide.
ADOT is also committed to protecting Arizona’s nearly $21 billion investment in the state highway system through dedicated preservation funding. This Five-Year Program meets ADOT’s target of $260 million per year for preservation. Projects like repaving highways, repairing or reconstructing bridges and projects to extend the life of existing pavement all help to preserve the highway system and keep it functioning as it should.
The complete report of all proposed projects is available at azdot.gov for review and comment until 5 p.m. on May 30.
The public comment period for the 2018-2022 Tentative Program began on March 17. It includes public hearings in Tucson (March 17), Flagstaff (April 21) and Phoenix (May 19). The State Transportation Board is expected to make its final decision on June 16 at its meeting in Payson about what will be in the updated Five-Year Program.
The Tentative Program is available for public review and comment at azdot.gov/FiveYearPlan, where a “how to read it” guide is available. ADOT welcomes feedback through Survey Monkey at surveymonkey.com/r/M36583J, by email at fiveyearconstructionprogram@azdot.gov and by calling 855.712.8530.
Visit the Tentative Five-Year Program website at azdot.gov/fiveyearplan for more information.
Windy conditions on Monday prevented crews from completing the emergency utility repairs on Interstate 17. Work and temporary closures are scheduled to continue Tuesday, May 16, approximately four miles north of the State Route 260 junction.
North and southbound traffic on I-17 will be stopped at milepost 291 while utility crews work to repair power lines and poles. Closures are scheduled to occur between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., with each closure expected to last approximately 15 minutes.
PHOENIX – The rubberized asphalt used by the Arizona Department of Transportation on many highway paving projects not only creates a smooth ride for drivers, it also provides a second life for the rubber from thousands of old, worn tires that might otherwise be dumped in landfills.
Such is the case with the ongoing project to put a fresh layer of rubberized asphalt on a busy stretch of Interstate 17 in Phoenix. Rubber from about 75,000 tires will be used in the layer of asphalt being added to 11 miles of I-17 between Dunlap and 19th avenues in Phoenix.
For the I-17 project, the process for recycling tires begins at the Crumb Rubber Manufacturers plant in east Mesa, where a complex series of conveyor belts, blades and other equipment removes the internal metal belts from the tires while turning the rubber into granules that look like ground coffee.
The crumb rubber is a key ingredient that is blended with hot asphalt and aggregate to become rubberized asphalt. For the I-17 project, the mixing occurs at a Vulcan Materials Co. plant in Phoenix. The heated rubberized asphalt is then delivered in trucks when weekend paving on the freeway is underway.
ADOT has used rubberized asphalt on many stretches of the state’s highways, including metro Phoenix freeways, for decades. As a result, rubber from millions of tires has been used to help provide a smooth, durable ride for drivers across Arizona.
“What we like most about rubberized asphalt is its durability,” said Dallas Hammit, ADOT’s state engineer and deputy director for transportation. “When our riding surface pavement lasts longer – in some areas for well over a decade – it is cost effective and limits traffic disruptions.”
Rubberized asphalt has also been recognized for reducing traffic noise, specifically the sound from vehicle tires, by approximately four decibels in neighborhoods near urban freeways.
The weekend paving of sections of I-17 is scheduled to be completed in June. This weekend, northbound I-17 will be closed between Glendale and Dunlap avenues from 10 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, May 15, for the resurfacing work. Drivers should consider alternate routes, including northbound State Route 51, to avoid heavy traffic approaching the I-17 closure.
For more information about ADOT’s $9.8 million I-17 Improvement Project between Dunlap and 19th avenues, visit azdot.gov/I17PavementPreservation.
Four temporary full closures of Interstate 17 north of Camp Verde will be required on Monday, May 15, to accommodate overhead emergency utility repairs.
North and southbound traffic on I-17 at milepost 291, located approximately four miles north of the State Route 260 Junction in Camp Verde, will be stopped while utility crews work to repair power lines and poles. Closures are scheduled to occur between 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., with each closure expected to last approximately 15 minutes.
ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions and closures, but it’s possible that unscheduled impacts might occur because of weather or other factors. For the most current information about highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except while driving.
PHOENIX – After being buried in snow all winter, State Route 67 running from Jacob Lake to the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is scheduled to reopen Monday, May 15.
The Arizona Department of Transportation closes SR 67 when park facilities shut down for the winter––usually on December 1––and reopens it when the North Rim is ready to welcome travelers once again. The 40-plus-mile-long route runs through an area that, at 8,500 feet in elevation, sees an average of nine feet of snow each year.
During the winter months, a gate blocks access to SR 67 just south of US 89A in Jacob Lake.
The Grand Canyon National Park website at www.nps.gov/grca has information on lodging, camping and other visitor services available at the North Rim.
For the latest information about highway conditions across Arizona, please visit ADOT’s Traveler Information site at AZ511.gov, call 511 or connect via Twitter (@ArizonaDOT ) or Facebook (facebook.com/AZDOT).
YUMA – A binational initiative to increase commerce and tourism in southwestern Arizona and the neighboring region in Mexico, stemming from a collaboration involving border communities and state entities including the Arizona Department of Transportation, has been honored for excellence in economic development.
The American Planning Association’s Economic Development Division selected the 4FrontED Initiative for its Donald E. Hunter Excellence in Economic Development Planning Award, saying the public-private partnership “is adding economic value to a multi-jurisdictional region where it may not have otherwise occurred.”
The 4FrontED region includes Yuma, Somerton, Wellton and San Luis in Arizona, as well as San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico. The Cocopah Indian Tribe is a recent member of the initiative.
In 2013, ADOT, the Arizona-Mexico Commission, the Arizona Commerce Authority and the Arizona Office of Tourism worked with the border communities of Douglas, Nogales and San Luis/Yuma County to create the Arizona Border Communities Roadmap identifying assets and strategies to generate economic development.
The 4FrontED Initiative stems from a binational work program, the Border Business Case, that is the first step of the Border Communities Roadmap. Through the 4FrontED Initiative, communities and businesses in southwestern Arizona and in Mexico formed alliances to increase international commerce and tourism and develop strategies to connect investors with opportunities.
“ADOT recognizes that border communities, because of their binational nature, have unique needs but also present a number of valuable opportunities for growth and development,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “The collaborative approach through the Border Communities Roadmap ensures that we maximize the efforts to promote the region and foster new investment and job creation.”
Yuma Mayor Douglas J. Nicholls, who initiated 4FrontED’s launch, said the initiative’s successes have only just begun as participants unite behind its shared vision.
“We are doing so, in unison, with short-term and long-term goals, to put the region on the global map,” Nicholls said.
The award will be presented Monday, May 8, at the American Planning Association National Planning Conference in New York City.
SEDONA – Motorists traveling on State Route 89A north of Sedona should allow extra time Monday, May 8, and Tuesday, May 9, while roadway striping is underway.
A rolling lane-striping operation is scheduled during daylight hours, weather permitting. Although no travel lanes on SR 89A will be closed, drivers should be patient and watch for slower-moving equipment between mileposts 375 and 386 in Oak Creek Canyon.
ADOT works to inform the public about planned highway restrictions and closures, but it’s possible that unscheduled impacts might occur because of weather or other factors. For the most current information about highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT’s Traveler Information site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except while driving