SAN FRANCISCO (Standard&Poor's) Jan. 2, 2002--Standard&Poor's today assigned its triple-'A' rating to the Arizona Transportation Board's $142.17 million highway revenue bonds series 2002. The bonds are scheduled to sell on Jan. 15, 2002. 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 9.1x MADS coverage (including these bonds) for the senior liens based on actual pledged revenues for fiscal 2001; and -- Sound and conservative management of the highway program with a board commitment to maintain 5.0x MADS coverage on the senior lien