The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) along with the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) is ready for whatever winter is going to throw at them.
On Thursday, MDOT showcased their winter game plan at their operations center in Hanover. Two big things that changed was how they monitor changing road conditions and how they keep the public informed.
Of course, with a $76 million budget, MDOT is well equipped with the latest technology to deal with whatever the weather may be and help drivers stay safe during the winter months.
MDOT-SHA administrator Tim Smith says this includes more than 100 mobile advanced road weather information sensors on maintenance vehicles.
"This system allows us to detect the thickness of water as well as snow and ice, and real-time feedback back to our state operations center," Smith said. "It also measures surface temperature as well as road conditions, freeze point and salt concentration on the surface."
People can also track MDOT vehicle operations on the storm app, Smith pointed out. There are also some upgrades to the app, such as being able to track the changing road conditions.
"The public now has access to real-time weather as well as pavement data both through our fixed sensors but also through those mobile ones that I mentioned earlier," Smith said.
"Allow yourself more time, be cautious," said Nikos Routzunis, who works in maintenance at the agency. "If you can't see us as the driver in our mirrors, we probably can't see you so be cautious about that. If you see a plow train please remain behind the plow train and do not try to squeeze up in between. Allow us time to do our job to give you a safe path to travel."
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Source: CBSNews.com
