ADOT: no state highway closures over Thanksgiving weekend | News

This will be good news for those traveling Arizona roads over the  Thanksgiving weekend – the Arizona Department of Transportation has released there will be no state highways closed. 

There are no construction related closures scheduled between November 21 to November 25. 

According to ADOT Director John Halikowski, the agency will off on work requiring closures to ease travel and promote safety as the busy holiday travel season gets under way.

“We’re asking drivers to concentrate on safety and to be prepared before heading out on the road,” said Halikowski, in a recent news release. “That means getting adequate rest before traveling, obeying speed limits, avoiding distractions and never drinking and driving.”

In 2011on Thanksgiving weekend, 14 people were killed in 12 fatal crashes on Arizona’s highways, and local roads according to the ADOT news release.  Three of those crashes were alcohol-related and claimed four lives. It was the deadliest holiday weekend in the state for 2011.

ADOT is offering these other safe-driving recommendations for holiday travel:

• Check your vehicle, including tire pressure, fluid levels and the condition of engine belts
• Buckle up and double-check child safety seats
• Be prepared for unscheduled closures due to accidents. Have an emergency preparedness kit that includes extra clothes, blankets, flashlights, snack foods and drinking water
• Check on travel conditions before leaving by visiting ADOT’s Travel Information site at www.az511.gov. Statewide highway conditions also are available by calling 5-1-1

While no closures are scheduled over the holiday weekend, drivers are urged to use caution when traveling through existing work zones.  Those locations include:

• I-17/State Route 69 interchange expansion work zone approximately 60 miles north of Phoenix
• I-10 widening work zones in the Casa Grande area east of Phoenix

Additional information about winter driving and items to include in an emergency preparedness kit can be found at www.azdot.gov/KnowSnow.