Winter storm wreaks havoc on highways

By Bill Pederson
ADOT Public Information Officer

PHOENIX — As a public safety team on the roads day and night, good weather and bad, the Arizona Department of Transportation's (ADOT) first focus is keeping motorists safe and traffic moving. But after the recent winter storm pounded most of the state, ADOT will spend more than $4 million to repair critical infrastructure damaged by rain, wind and snow.

It’s a big price to pay, but a necessity to protect drivers, property and decades of investments in highway infrastructure. When bad weather strikes, ADOT crews are the first responders – clearing the way and securing passage for police, fire and medical responders.

“ADOT has no role more critical than public safety. We have hundreds of staff in every corner of the state, covering 6,000 miles of highway, providing services specifically to protect motorists, the movements of the things we buy, and the investment we have all made in our highways,” said Transportation Director John Halikowski. “When it snows, ADOT plows lead the way. That’s a powerful testament to our mission and the dedication of our public-safety professionals.”

Of the estimated $4.1 million total cost for repairs, some may be reimbursed by the Federal Highway Administration as part of a program to compensate states for emergency response. The bulk of the costs, however, will hit the ADOT operations budget, a fund already drained by reduced revenues and legislative transfers. This is the same fund that provides money for snow plowing, Motor Vehicle Division Offices, staff salaries and highway rest areas.

ADOT has two primary day-to-day roles – public safety and customer service. Meeting both of these needs is the agency’s top focus. To provide funds for emergency services that come up everyday – like snow plowing, vehicle inspections, fraud detection, or critical highway repairs – it has been necessary to reallocate funds from a variety of sources into our public safety function. Both public safety and customer service are funded by the operations budget, and that’s a budget short on cash.

Even when faced with flash flood, thunderstorm, tornado, dust storm, winter storm and other warnings from the National Weather Service, ADOT personnel and equipment were in action confronting January’s storms. Emergency closures of highways, including State Route 89A near Sedona and Loop 101 in Scottsdale, were required to protect drivers. This was in addition to the preemptive closures of I-17 and I-40 before the worst of the weather hit – a move designed to keep motorists from becoming stranded.

The series of storms – the second for this winter – took their toll on the highway system around the state. Eroded roadways caused by flooding, rock falls and landslides, feet upon feet of snow, sink holes, crashes that caused damage and other affects are still being addressed by ADOT crews. The forces of Mother Nature, when extreme enough, will foil even the best engineering and construction techniques. Wind, water and ice are powerful.

These storms were just some of the daily public safety challenges ADOT crews confront to keep drivers safe, and traffic moving. Crashes, criminal damage, wildlife encounters, and ever-changing weather conditions are at the core of ADOT’s public safety responsibility, and often require highway workers to spend nights, holidays and weekends away from family to conquer critical safety issues.

“This serves to remind us that these types of extreme, unpredictable weather events are exactly what make the business of highway maintenance difficult and poses public safety challenges that only ADOT can tackle. The same set of rules applied to work done in a climate controlled office simply can’t be applied to work done in bad weather, or in the midst of traffic,” said Lonnie Hendrix, assistant state engineer for maintenance. “Highways are like living creatures. They respond to their environments, need care and attention, and sometimes surprise you.”

The public safety role at ADOT includes a range of roles, including helping drivers avoid weather and closures, reducing the likelihood of stranded motorists and crashes. For the January storm, ADOT – in its biggest push yet – used social networking site Twitter to keep drivers and community leaders informed of closures, problems and delays. Over four days, 209 messages were transmitted via the site – www.Twitter.com/ArizonaDOT – reaching an estimated 426,000 readers across the state. This was on top of three dozen local, state and national media interviews and more than 210,000 combined phone calls to 511 and Web visits to www.az511.gov for travel information.

“Because ADOT is more than highways, we have employees inspecting commercial and passenger vehicles, designing and planning roadways, supporting public transit safety requirements, communicating public-safety hazards, and screening potential drivers before issuing licenses,” Halikowski said. “This is a massive responsibility. It requires a spirit of service and clear recognition – ADOT is a public safety team.”