WisDOT reported that the new version of 511 Wisconsin will give drivers more updates on more miles of roadway. | Unsplash/Ruben
WisDOT reported that the new version of 511 Wisconsin will give drivers more updates on more miles of roadway. | Unsplash/Ruben
As the state prepares for winter weather roads this week, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will do their best to make roads as safe as possible.
Stacey Pierce, a traffic management unit supervisor with (WisDOT) told NBC 15 that they have a map that tells the department where there are good winter driving roads, along with roads that have stretches of winterized conditions.
“It’s a computerized model, and so it’s automated system, which is great so we can get those conditions 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year," she said.
The news station reported that map was an enhancement to 511 Wisconsin with data received from The National Weather Service, weather stations, along with sensors on snow plows deployed throughout Wisconsin.
WisDOT reported that the new version of 511 Wisconsin will give drivers more updates on more miles of roadway.
“The update unveiled on Jan. 31 ties in the technology department and county highway departments use to inform decisions on plowing and salting, called the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS),” WisDOT said in a press release. “The system generates automated models based on conditions measured at multiple areas throughout the state.”
The map will also provide drivers facts on construction, crashes and closures on state roads, according to NBC 15.
Drivers interested in obtaining information can go to 511wi.gov, call 511 or download the free 511 Wisconsin mobile app to get tailored notification alerts for counties that have a high driver count.
“WisDOT travel time information is calculated based on speed data collected by a variety of traffic data detection devices located along a road corridor that is then integrated into the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) software used by the Traffic Management Center (TMC),” the department said. “Received data is calculated to travel times and then communicated to the public using various integrated communication methods, such as 511 Wisconsin and dynamic message signs (DMS).”
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