SAN FRANCISCO (Standard&Poor's) Feb. 22, 2002--Standard&Poor's today assigned its triple-'A' rating to the Arizona Transportation Board's $73.26 million highway revenue refunding bonds series 2002A. The bonds are scheduled to sell March 7, 2002. In addition, Standard&Poor's affirmed its triple-'A' rating on the board's debt outstanding. The outlook is stable. The rating reflects the following credit strengths: -- Strong legal provisions consisting of a historic 4.0 times (x) maximum annual debt service (MADS) additional bonds test for the senior-lien bonds; -- Continued strong debt service coverage with 8.12x MADS coverage (including these bonds) for the senior lien, based on actual pledged revenues for fiscal 2001; and -- Sound and conservative management of the highway program