Reducing motorcycle-crash deaths a statewide priority

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Motorcycle-crash deaths in Arizona rose 59 percent between 2010 and 2011, an alarming statistic ADOT Director John Halikowski spoke of during a safety event held yesterday in Gilbert.

Halikowski was joined by Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Director Alberto Gutier and both stressed the importance of rider training while talking about statewide efforts to reduce fatal motorcycle-related crashes...

“As our economy continues to recover, people are driving more, and that's a factor when it comes to increasing crashes and fatalities, especially motorcycle-related deaths,” said Halikowski. “We'd encourage any riders to take safety courses approved by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation.”

Finding effective strategies for reducing crashes, fatalities and serious injuries
Governor Jan Brewer has directed ADOT and the highway safety office to develop a range of strategies for reducing motor vehicle crashes and fatalities in Arizona.

“Governor Brewer has made this one of the state's goals and driver education will play a big role in making it happen,” said Gutier. “Motorcycle rider training is an important example of that.”

The state’s public safety agencies will work this year with other safety organizations and stakeholders to update the Arizona Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

“We're determined to turn any trend toward increased deaths and injuries around,” said Halikowski. “In addition to motorcycle training, it will be important for all of us as drivers to be vigilant in paying extra attention to motorcycle riders, bicyclists and pedestrians.”

Director Gutier said motorcycle and general passenger vehicle safety starts with reducing the leading causes of traffic crash deaths.

"We all benefit when we obey speed limits, don't drive while impaired, avoid distractions and use proper restraints."

The TEAM Arizona motorcycle-training center in Gilbert, which hosted Wednesday's event, marked the training of its 100,000th rider over more than two decades. That rider was presented with a new Kawasaki motorcycle.

PARA funds assist rural areas with transportation planning

Readers of this blog know ADOT is the agency that often allocates federal grant funds to different entities from across the state (schools, communities, etc.) for transportation-related projects…

But, did you know there’s a program sponsored by ADOT that provides federal funds for the purpose of conducting transportation planning studies?

The program is known as PARA (Planning Assistance for Rural Areas) and it provides these funds to non-metropolitan communities.

More on PARA
PARA funds can’t be used for the design or construction of transportation projects, but the money can be used to plan for and address a range of issues related to roadway and non-motorized transportation modes. Public transportation services can be studied with PARA funds, too.

Some examples of what issues may be addressed by PARA program funding:

• Roadway and transit operations/facilities planning 
• Development or update of a municipality’s circulation element in its general plan 
• Bicycle and pedestrian planning 
• Trails planning 

Sierra Vista study 
ADOT administered PARA program funding to Sierra Vista so the city can develop a Travel Reduction Plan that will ultimately identify options to improve traffic flow by reducing the number of motorists who drive alone to work or school.

So far, the city has completed an efficiency study that surveyed workers at Sierra Vista’s largest workplaces to better understand how people commute and what types of programs would encourage them to make fewer single-occupancy vehicle trips. The study found that more than 90 percent of workers in Sierra Vista currently drive to and from work and school alone.

Most recently, ADOT and the city launched an online survey to lean about the travel habits of Sierra Vista residents and to understand what alternative options might reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips.

Findings from the studies and surveys will be used by Sierra Vista to develop the final Travel Reduction Plan.

For more on the Sierra Vista study, visit the ADOT webpage  and you can get more details on PARA Program Funding HERE.

SR 24 construction requires Santan traffic switch this weekend

SR 24 project area.

It’s been a while since we checked in with the SR 24 out in the East Valley.

You remember this project, right?

Also known as the Gateway Freeway, SR 24 is designed to span one mile between Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) and Ellsworth Road. When construction is finished in fall 2013, this new freeway will feature a freeway to freeway interchange, complete with elevated ramps connecting to and from Loop 202 near Hawes Road.

Crews have been at work for the past six months and now we’re headed toward a project milestone…

A traffic switch is coming
This weekend, Loop 202 (Santan) will be closed between Power and Elliot roads so crews can install temporary concrete barrier and restripe the road – the closure is expected to last through 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30.

The work is necessary to prep the roadway for an upcoming long-term detour that will move westbound traffic onto the eastbound lanes of Loop 202 between Warner and Hawes roads.

After this Sunday, both east and westbound drivers will be using two lanes each on the eastbound side of Loop 202. The traffic switch will allow crews to continue constructing the ramps and bridges that will connect Loop 202 to the new one-mile stretch of SR 24.

This traffic switch is the first phase of ramp and bridge construction. In phase two, eastbound traffic will be detoured onto the westbound lanes of Loop 202 in Mesa. These detours will be in place until late summer 2013.

When work is finished drivers can look forward to…

• A new freeway to freeway interchange, a widened Loop 202 and the first mile of the new SR 24 ending at Ellsworth Road. 
• Enhanced access from southeast Maricopa County to northeast Pinal County. 
• Additional routes into and out of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and its surrounding businesses and schools. 

For more on this project, visit the SR 24 webpage.