ST.
PAUL, Minn. - Motorists driving throughout the state this winter will
benefit from the addition of cameras displaying real-time photos of road
conditions from 92 locations to help them plan their travel. The
photos are available on the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s 511
traveler information website at www.511mn.org.
These camera locations are in addition to the more than 800 traffic cameras already displayed on MnDOT’s 511 system.
The
Road Weather Information Stations or RWIS are located along state roads
and interstates. The stations are used by MnDOT’s maintenance crews but
now the public also can take advantage of the live rotating camera
shots. Various weather data is also available with the photos.
“RWIS
is perfect for Greater Minnesota, where camera images were lacking in
the past,” said Kelly Braunig, 511 program manager. “Seeing is
believing, so the photos will help motorists know what the road
conditions are for where they are traveling.”
The RWIS are among several recent enhancements to the 511 system. Other updates are:
· Metro traffic map -
Uses Google Speed technology to show congestion levels caused by
crashes, closures, construction and maintenance projects within the
Twin Cities metro area. Users can zoom in to specific incidents or
events. This feature can be viewed by clicking on the quick link “Metro
Traffic Map” on the left side of the full-featured version of the 511
website.
· Greater Minnesota traffic speeds
– Uses Google Speed technology to show congestion levels along
Minnesota highways. Users can zoom in and out to specific cities. Users
can view this by turning on the “Traffic Speeds” layer from the
dropdown list on the full-featured version of the 511 website.
· Weather warnings
– Show warnings imported from National Weather Service sites. The
warnings are displayed as a shaded overlay on top of the full-featured
version of the 511 website in the areas that are affected. These
warnings reinforce the message about the road condition report. For
example, if a blizzard warning is issued for St. Louis County, a user
would see that county shaded along with a weather warning icon. The
user might also see “completely covered” or “travel not advised” road
conditions in that area. This feature is available year-round and also
shows severe storm, flash flood, high wind and tornado warnings.
· Traffic delays
– Is a Google Speed feature that recognizes when there is a backup due
to an existing traffic event on 511. The events are highlighted with an
orange glow. Clicking on the glowing icon will show details about how
long a delay is expected. This is available only on interstates
statewide.
· 511 smartphone app – Shows a detour route as a blue line. Detours can also be seen on the 511 website. This feature is available statewide.
“These
improvements will give users more quality information,” said Braunig.
“The more information we can give the public, the better chance they
have to make good decisions on their travel.”
