MDOT's Road Weather Information System
Just what are those funny looking towers alongside state highways in the U.P? They're part of the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) new Road Weather Information System, or RWIS.
Using federal grant funding, MDOT began installing a new system to monitor atmospheric and road surface conditions in an effort to better manage winter maintenance activities and to provide more travel information to motorists. The concept isn't new (several other Midwestern states have similar systems), but it's new to Michigan.
The system is made up of a network of Environmental Sensor Stations, or ESSs. These stations (the towers you're seeing) combine several types of sensors to measure air and road surface temperatures, barometric pressure, wind, salt concentrations on the road surface, frost depth and dewpoint, as well as cameras to verify conditions at the site. Using the data collected from the 14 existing stations, MDOT and the contract county road commissions providing maintenance services can better predict when ice will begin to form on the roadway or bridge deck, or see when snow is blowing and drifting across the road.
MDOT is working to provide motorists with an online view of the ESS cameras, which they could use to help make travel plans or decide when not to venture out. For now, the ESS data from Michigan and other states can be viewed at www.clarus-system.com.
For more information on the RWIS, contact Dawn Gustafson, MDOT Superior Region traffic and safety engineer, at 906-786-1800 or by e-mail at gustafsond@michigan.gov
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