Tag: Arizona Department of Transportation

Audit Finds Unqualified Arizonans Received Driver Licenses, Including at Least One Foreign National

Tom Pappert

A new report from the Arizona Auditor General reveals that private companies authorized by the state’s Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) have issued credentials or documents to people who were unqualified, including at least one foreign national.

The Auditor General warned that “consistently” allowing vehicle titles, driver licenses, and identification cards to unauthorized individuals or entities will increase numbers of “unsafe drivers, vehicle and identity theft, fraud, and terrorism.”

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State House Committee Pushes Through Bill to Limit Messaging on Arizona Highway Signs and Avoid Government Advertising

Neil Jones

The State House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed a measure Friday aimed at constricting what the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) can display on dynamic message signs along Arizona’s highways.

“So, they [ADOT] do put on things, sometimes, that are not related to transportation, and that would be, I think, inappropriate,” said State Rep. Neal Carter (R-Casa Grande), the bill’s sponsor, to the committee. “What we’re worried about is the government effectively using it [the signs] as a kind of advertisement for other things.”

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Arizona Traffic Fatalities Rose to a 15-Year High in 2021

Neil Jones

The Arizona Department of Public Transportation (ADOT) unveiled its Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report (AMVCF) Wednesday, which showed that traffic fatalities rose for a second consecutive year in 2021, reaching a 15-year peak.

“The 2021 report shows an increase in all categories in terms of number of crashes, injuries and fatalities over 2020 as more people began to travel once again to work, school and other places. A month-by-month breakdown in the crash report shows an overall increase in the number of crashes as the year went on, with October being the peak month for crashes,” according to ADOT.

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Arizona Cities Rake in Tens of Millions from Biden Infrastructure Bill

Peter D'Abrosca

After Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg last week visited Tucson and Phoenix to tout the Biden Administration’s infrastructure bill, those cities have announced that they will receive tens of millions from the federal government for projects. 

“The Federal Transit Administration has awarded the City of Phoenix Public Transit Department a $16.3 million grant for greener (low and no emissions) buses and supporting infrastructure,” according to the city of Phoenix. “The grant is made available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law under the Low-No Emission and Buses and Bus Facilities highly-competitive grant programs. The programs’ goal is to support the transition of the nation’s fleet to more energy efficient and cleaner transit vehicles.”

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Arizona to Spend $76.5 Million in Electric Vehicle Charging Stations on Highways

The Center Square

The Arizona Department of Transportation plans to invest in electric vehicle charging stations in the coming years.

The state is set to receive $76.5 million in federal dollars through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program over the next five years. This will allow the department to establish publicly accessible EV charging stations along Arizona’s federal interstate highways. 

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