Phoenix, Arizona - The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) recently received national recognition for their efforts to enhance safety on Arizona’s roads. The National Operations Center of Excellence, an organization focused on highway management, honored ADOT for improving safety on a stretch of the U.S. 60 and for its first-in-the-nation wrong-way driver alert system.

“Arizonans' safety will always be our No. 1 priority. ADOT's efforts to leverage technology and develop innovative solutions are bringing about real, measurable improvements to roadway safety. Arizona will continue to focus on how we can constantly improve safety and reliability on our roadways,” said Governor Ducey.

ADOT received the Best Transportation Systems Management and Operations Project Award (Creative Solution) for adjusting lanes and adding new signs to reduce traffic and accidents on a westbound stretch of the U.S. 60 in Tempe. Traffic during the afternoon’s peak hours has decreased 90 percent in comparison to the five years before these improvements.

ADOT also received the runner-up for Best Transportation Systems Management and Operations Project (Creative Solution) for its innovative, first-in-the-nation wrong-way driver alert system, currently set up on a 15 mile stretch of the 1-17 in Phoenix.

In place since January 2018, the pilot system uses technology and thermal cameras to alert ADOT and the Arizona Department of Public Safety of wrong-way vehicles, providing faster response times and reducing the risk posed by wrong-way drivers.