ADOT's weekly ADOT Connection news bulletin helps you stay connected, informed and healthy whether you're working from home, in the field or in the office during the COVID-19 pandemic. The monthly issue of The Inside Lane is on hiatus. Go to the COVID-19 Resource Center for information and assistance.

Check out these stories and more Read why it's important to wear cloth face coverings during the COVID-19 crisis. View the beautiful scenic photo that won the Arizona Highways contest. Learn about New Employee Orientation presentations going virtual. Discover how great teamwork reopened rest areas for truckers.

Leadership Matters

It's important to wear cloth face coverings

At ADOT, our teams use various types of equipment to get their work done safely every day. From hard hats and eye protection to ear plugs and steel-toe boots, we know that this equipment is necessary and beneficial.

Today, because of the COVID-19 crisis, we’re all having to utilize a new-to-us piece of safety equipment: the cloth face covering.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public when physical distancing is difficult to maintain. It is important to wear cloth face coverings because, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, COVID-19 can be spread through speaking, coughing and sneezing — even by people who don’t know they’re sick.

To put it simply, wearing a cloth face covering is an easy way for you to keep others safe, including your family, your coworkers and your community.

I know that wearing one might not always be convenient or comfortable, but I encourage you to treat cloth face coverings just like you would any other piece of essential safety equipment. By wearing one here at work, you’re not only helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but you’re also showing respect to your fellow ADOT team members.

Of course, it is still crucial to wash your hands, practice social distancing and stay home if you’re feeling unwell. Information and updates, including guidance on cloth face coverings, can be found in our COVID-19 Resource Center. Let’s all continue to follow our True North as we do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19!

~ John Halikowski, ADOT Director

In the Work Zone

New Employee Orientation sessions go virtual

With newly hired ADOT employees performing a wide range of jobs throughout Arizona, it is important to help them feel connected, especially while teleworking.

Since large gatherings aren’t allowed due to the ongoing public-health crisis, ADOT’s previous process for conducting the New Employee Orientation (NEO) event in person was not feasible. The social-distancing requirements represented an obstacle to delivering this important event, but it also provided an opportunity to test a new way to welcome employees – virtually. With Internet access and Google Meet, new employees can now participate in NEO sessions whether they are telecommuting from

home, social distancing in the office or working staggered shifts in the field.

The first virtual NEO presentation with 43 newly hired employees in attendance was held on April 9, shortly after Governor Doug Ducey issued his Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected executive order on March 30. As part of his welcome message to new employees, Director John Halikowski described ADOT’s resiliency in managing the COVID-19 crisis. He cited examples of employees’ strength, commitment and contributions to providing excellent customer service, and operating a safe, reliable transportation system during these unprecedented times.

Director Halikowski and Deputy Chief Operating Officer Kismet Weiss explained ADOT’s Mission, Vision and Values; Arizona Management System (AMS) culture and Continuous Improvement approach. The virtual NEO session itself is an example of an improved process created using AMS problem-solving tools and kaizen thinking. During virtual sessions, participants can see and hear the presentations, meet ADOT leadership, as well as participate in question-answer sessions.

The second virtual NEO event with 37 new employees attending was held on May 12 and another virtual NEO session is planned in June. Participants are surveyed after the sessions to provide feedback and offer improvement opportunities from the customer’s perspective. Attendees responding to the May 12 post-event survey gave an overall rating of the NEO experience as 4.5 out of 5.

“Those in attendance continue to express an appreciation for the new virtual format. The Q/A sessions have been well-received with many attendees actively participating and enjoying the conversation with the Director,” said Employee Engagement/Senior Lean Coach Vincent LaBella.

Photo on left: First Year Experience Program Manager Deanna Seehoffer helps facilitate the virtual New Employee Orientation sessions.

Time is running out! Answer our survey for a chance to win a prize ADOT’s Internal Communications team wants to hear from you! We’re always communications products to find the best ways to reach out to ADOT employees the way you prefer most. Tell us what you think about the ADOT Connection, The Inside Lane, The Inside Lane Online, DOTCOMM and the quarterly posters. Let us know what topics you'd like to read more about.

Take this short, five-minute survey by June 5 and your name will be entered into a drawing to win a prize!

Stay Connected/Stay Healthy

The heat is on

Temperatures are rising and as we move into the hotter summer months, it is important to remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Heat can cause serious health issues, which is why everyone should know what to look out for when it comes to heat-related illness.

Get tips for staying hydrated, learn signs of heat exhaustion and find out what to do if a coworker is ill from the heat by checking out ADOT’s safety bulletin on ADOTNet.

Seat belts save lives

Nearly nine in 10 Arizonans buckle up, but about a quarter of those killed annually in car crashes in Arizona are not wearing a seat belt.

Buckling up is the most effective and easiest thing to do to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries that occur on our roadways.

Learn more about seat belt safety and other important safe-driving topics by visiting ADOT’s Focus on Driving site.

Kudos

Reopening rest areas took teamwork

In early April, ADOT reopened two northern Arizona rest areas in an effort to support truckers hauling essentials during the COVID-19 crisis. The Parks Rest Area along Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff and the Christensen Rest Area on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff now offer parking, portable toilets and hand- washing stations exclusively for commercial vehicle drivers.

The rest areas were swiftly reopened within 24 hours of authorization. That took teamwork and cooperation, according to ADOT Rest Area Manager Bobby Wheeler.

“It all starts with great leadership,” Wheeler said. “They recognized that there was work to do. The districts provided staff to do site clean up. We also had to address possible safety concerns, get street sweepers in there, put down pavement markings on the main line and in the rest area parking lot itself, along with numerous other related tasks.”

Those other tasks included hiring staff to provide janitorial services at the sites, bringing dumpsters, portable toilets and hand-washing stations to the rest areas and temporarily fencing off some of the closed facilities.

The results have been very positive,” Wheeler said. “The rest area sites that we've temporarily opened for truck parking do get a significant amount of use. We see them more than half full on a nightly basis with many evenings being completely full.”

In rest areas across the state, Wheeler said that he’s noticed some travelers are leaving behind painted rocks that show appreciation.

“They’re nice to see and I hope it continues,” Wheeler said. “This shows what we are capable of doing when we can stick together.”

Capitol Toastmasters will host first virtual open house on June 11

Capitol Toastmasters easily transitioned to the current virtual environment, by holding their club meetings online. They will host their first virtual open house at 7:30 a.m. June 11. This is a great opportunity for guests to experience a sampling of Toastmasters, which helps ADOT employees develop their communication and leadership skills.

The Capitol Toastmasters at ADOT recently elected its new leadership team. They are Kyrie Drake, president; Veronica Hovanec, vice president of education; Raul Macias II, vice president of membership; Tedd Duymich, vice president of public relations; Patricia Zamora Medina, secretary; Anurvys Fernandez-Blackwood, treasurer; and Kristy Teichman, sergeant at arms.

For information about using Google Meet for the June 11 open house, please contact Drake at kdrake@azdot.gov.

Photo on the right: This is a view of some of the Capitol Toastmasters participants during a virtual club meeting.

Learn how to improve your leadership skills Registration is underway for the next #ADOTLeads Leading Others Supervisor Series, which begins July 6. Through this program, you’ll connect with other supervisors across ADOT, share best practices, increase your leadership skills with on-the-job applications, better leverage Google Suite technology to enhance learning and virtual collaboration, and much more.

To register, go to the #ADOTLeads page on ADOTNet, scroll down to and click on Leading Others to see the Register Now button. If you are unable to access ADOTNet, you can register here on this registration form. #ADOTLeads is part of the agency’s

overall Employee Learning and Development Plan.

What's Up @ ADOT

Perfect shot of scenic beauty wins Arizona Highways photo contest

Nominations are being accepted for the annual ADOT employee awards through June 12.

The award categories are Customer Service, Innovation, Safety, Employee of the Year, Team of the Year and Leader of the Year. These awards exemplify ADOT’s core values and Arizona Management System behaviors.

Recognition showcases and rewards the talents of our employees who help make this agency the best it can be.

The nomination form can be found by visiting the Annual Awards Program web page on ADOTNet. You will also find tips to help you in writing award-winning nominations.

ADOT News Releases Interstate 10 at Colossal Cave and Wentworth Road near Vail will be closed through July during a bridge deck replacement project. To continue helping members of disadvantaged groups during the current public health situation, ADOT’s Construction Academy is offering video conferencing and online instruction.

ADOT Blog

Between a planned computer operating system upgrade and the current public health situation, there have been a lot of changes for the MVD lately. As part of the widening project, the Loop 101 Price freeway will have its concrete pavement diamond ground as part of a regional pavement study.

ADOT Albums Check out ADOT’s Flickr album for new drone photos of the existing I-17 bridge over Central Avenue, which opened to traffic in 1962. The old bridge will be replaced by a modern structure with increased clearance for commercial trucks traveling beneath it as well as Valley Metro’s future Central Avenue light-rail line.

ADOT Videos

More than four months into the Interstate 10/Ruthrauff projects, change is constant as crews work to build a new bridge over I-10 and the train tracks. This video, shot with a drone, shows some of the work you likely can’t see while you’re on the road.

ADOT in the News Recent weeks have seen a lot of changes for the ADOT Motor Vehicle Division. Construction on a bridge to allow pedestrians to cross the railroad tracks on the Western Powerline Trail in Gilbert will start in June. Colossal Cave and Wentworth Road will be closed at Interstate 10 near Vail for about two months for a bridge deck replacement project. ADOT says check your car to prevent wildfires.

On a Lighter Note

Share your photo at work from wherever you

To help you feel more connected while we are social distancing, ADOT Connection is featuring photos of employees at work. Whether you're telecommuting, in the field or in the office, we invite you to send a selfie in your workspace to InsideLane@azdot.gov. Thank you to Design and Delivery Training Supervisor Teresa Jones for sharing her teleworking photo. Check out more ADOT employee photos in the ADOT Employees at Work Flickr album.

ADOT Connection is published weekly for the employees of the Arizona Department of Transportation by ADOT Communications. Visit our archive at azdot.gov/insidelane or adotnet.az.gov/insidelane. For questions, comments, story suggestions or to request a printed copy, contact InsideLane@azdot.gov.