AASHTO Journal - WVDOT to Update Road Weather Information System

The West Virginia Department of Transportation recently awarded a $4.7 million contract to Specialty Groups Inc. to upgrade and install Road Weather Information System or RWIS stations along state roadways.

[Above photo by WVDOT]

Those stations collect data on weather and road conditions and transmit it to the WVDOT’s Traffic Management Center in Charleston; enabling the agency to promptly alert drivers about adverse weather conditions in real-time. The WVDOT added that it operates about 40 RWIS units statewide.

The agency noted that RWIS – a component of its overall Intelligent Transportation Systems program – also allows it to more efficiently optimize snow removal and ice control operations, identify weather and roadway conditions of concern and interest to motorists, and create site-specific forecasts for specific sections of highway.

Data collected by RWIS stations is also provided to third parties, such as the National Weather Service, for weather monitoring and forecasting purposes, WVDOT said.

“Making sure our weather stations have the most updated technology to provide accurate information is important to everyone traveling in West Virginia,” noted Governor Jim Justice (R) in a statement.

“Safety is a top priority, and this funding is really going to help us keep our citizens informed about any potential dangers on the roads before they happen,” he added. “We want everyone traveling in West Virginia to feel secure and prepared.”

“RWIS is an excellent example of how the WVDOT can utilize technology to have instant access to information about local conditions to make decisions that will result in more effective management of the roadway system and provide important and timely information to motorists,” explained Ted Whitmore, director of the WVDOT’s Traffic Engineering Division.

The agency noted that an estimated 5,000 people die every year due to adverse weather conditions on the nation’s highways, with about 418,000 people injured each year due to weather-related crashes. RWIS technology can help reduce these numbers by warning the WVDOT and drivers about dangerous road conditions in real-time, Whitmore stressed.