The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT, ) is an
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
state
government agency
A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...
charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's
highway system
A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights of way. In the United States, it is also used as an equivalent term to controlled-access highway, or ...
, the agency is also involved with
public transportation
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...
and municipal airports. The department was created in 1974 when the state merged the Arizona Highway Department with the Arizona Department of Aeronautics.
Jennifer Toth was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs as the ADOT Director in January 2023. Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters had previously been a Director of ADOT. The past Federal Highway Administrator, Victor Mendez, was also previously a Director of ADOT.
ADOT's publications division publishes ''
Arizona Highways
''Arizona Highways'' is a magazine that contains travelogues and artistic photographs related to the U.S. state of Arizona. It is published monthly in Phoenix by a unit of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
Background
The ...
'' magazine.
ADOT Divisions
Aeronautics Division
The Aeronautics Division, now a part of the Multimodal Planning Division, promotes aviation in the state, license aircraft dealers, assists in the development of public airport projects and manages
Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Grand Canyon National Park Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located in Tusayan, CDP in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States.
Motor Vehicle Division
The Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) is responsible for driver licensing and vehicle registration. It has 1600 employees and an annual operating budget of $72 million. Currently it is headed by ADOT Assistant Director Eric Jorgensen.
As of FY 2023, the MVD has 7,969,576 license plates registered with the department.
There are also third party providers that provide limited services.
Enforcement and Compliance Division
The Enforcement and Compliance Division utilizes certified peace officers to enforce transportation related laws and regulations.
The Enforcement and Compliance Division was originally the enforcement component of the Motor Vehicle Division. Created in 2010 by former division Director, Terry Connor (retired Arizona DPS Commander), the Division separated from the Motor Vehicle Division to improve the enforcement capabilities of the department. Under current Division Director Tim Lane, the division continues to provide the state of Arizona a highly trained agency to protect Arizona's infrastructure. The Enforcement and Compliance Division has 3 separate units: the Enforcement Services Bureau, Office of Inspector General and the Executive Hearing Office.
The Enforcement Services Bureau (ESB) utilizes certified police officers to enforce state and federal commercial vehicle regulations. Stationed at Port of Entry stations, mobile scale teams and MVD offices, these officers are trained to perform a variety of duties and also enforce fuel tax laws. The Bureau also assists other state, local and federal agencies when needed.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) utilizes detectives to deter theft, fraud and other crimes as well as assisting other state, local and federal agencies.
The Executive Hearing Office (EHO) employs an Administrative Law Judge and staff on driver license hearings and other administrative cases.
Multimodal Planning Division
The Multimodal Planning Division (MPD) is the arm of ADOT involved in transportation planning. As its name suggests, the mandate for the MPD deals with creating plans for various modes of transport, including highways and public transit at both a regional and statewide level.
Freeway signs
ADOT is noted for using pop-culture references to catch commuters eyes and deliver important safety tips on the electronic overhead signs. References have included ''
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'', ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'', and ''
Pokémon Go
''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game originally developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android devices. It uses mobile devic ...
''.
Signs have included:
* "Drinking & Driving go together like Peas and Guac"
* "Awaken your inner force. Focus on the road."
* "Texting and driving leads to the dark side."
* "The force is strong with you. Put down the phone."
* "Be a rebel, not a clone. Put down the phone."
* "Road rage? Let the
Wookiee
Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens in the ''Star Wars'' universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism, hirsutism, and physical strength. The most prominent Wookiee in the films is ...
win."
* "Drive Sober
Live Long and Prosper
The Vulcan salute is a hand gesture popularized by the 1960s television series ''Star Trek''. It consists of a raised hand with the palm forward and the thumb extended, while the fingers are parted between the middle and ring finger. The gestur ...
"
See also
*
Vehicle registration plates of Arizona
The U.S. state of Arizona first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1912. Registrants provided their own Vehicle registration plate, license plates for display until 1914, when the state began to issue plates.
Plates are ...
Transportation
Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...