Warning

WYDOT weather, road condition warnings apply to all motorists By BOOMERANG STAFF • Sunday, October 09, 2011

The flashing sign overhead indicates high winds and blowing snow are ahead for travelers on Interstate 80.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment and hundreds of man hours to monitor and evaluate the data so the department can make traveling across the state safer, Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Rick Colling said.

When motorists don’t pay attention to the signs, or simply choose to ignore the warnings posted on the Variable Message System (VMS) boards, there is a problem.

“A high wind warning and an advisory against light trailers on the interstate was posted just before 10 p.m. Thursday,” Colling said. “Shortly after 4:30 a.m. Friday and for the next three hours between mileposts 279 and 283, there were eight crashes. The wind was just flipping semis and RVs onto their sides.”

There were no serious injuries.

High wind warnings go into effect when wind speeds reach 35 miles per hour or higher with wind gust speeds posted within the warning. Late Thursday, the winds were averaging 45 miles per hour with 75 mile per hour gusts around Cooper Cove, Colling said. The storm later intensified with sustained wind speeds around 65 mph.

“WYDOT is doing everything they can to warn people about what’s ahead,” Colling said. “It may look good here, but it might not be so good farther down the road. If a motorist just takes the opportunity to read the overhead signs, it is their chance to see where the problems are ahead of them.”

The trailers on the semis involved in the early morning crashes Friday were empty, which was a problem with the high winds, Colling said.

“Even though they were going about 40 miles per hour, when the wind gusts hit them, it tipped their truck onto the left side wheels and blew them over,” he said. “It’s not all about speed. Speed doesn’t matter as much when it is really windy. It’s the weight of the vehicle, what the driver is towing and the profile of the vehicle. Anything that is high profile is really susceptible to these high winds.”

In many instances, he said, people are towing a trailer or have high profile campers for hunting. They don’t pull the trailers that often, so they’re not used to the difference from not towing anything at all.

“These trailers and campers are often huge and sometimes clumsy. The drivers don’t always think about the high winds, they just want to get to their destination,” Colling said.

To keep motorists safe, WYDOT utilizes a number of methods to forecast the weather conditions and warn drivers. Equipment staggered across the state, particularly in the area between Laramie and Rawlins, monitors wind speed, air temperature, highway temperature and precipitation. This information is posted on the VMS boards.

In addition to the equipment, WYDOT’s maintenance workers travel on the highways for a variety of reasons, Colling said. “As things deteriorate, these workers go to specific areas to determine if and how much traffic should be slowed or if the road should be closed to travel.”

Colling said the troopers are also driving on the highways, monitoring the traffic, road conditions and the weather.

WYDOT has a system for warning travelers before heading out, he said.

“Anyone can check the Web site at www.wyoroad.info. The service is free. They can also sign up for 511 Notify,” Colling said. “Once someone signs up for 511 Notify, the information, including weather alerts and road conditions, is sent via e-mail or text messaging. This service is free, although there might be a texting charge.”

This service and the VMS boards are “great ways to know what’s up when planning a trip,” he said. “People can know from the Web site what is going on before they leave home.”

Reader Comments

hmmm wrote on Oct 15, 2011 4:52 PM:

" I always look and the signs so I know my family is safe while im traveling and they always seem to be correct when I travel and I do it often not so sure what your talking about fuzzy people need to pay attention to these cause they are putting people who have children in their cars lives at risk when they choose to ignore!! "

Ed wrote on Oct 15, 2011 10:19 AM:

" Common sense appears to be in short supply. You can't help a stupid person -nature will take care of it. "

Fuzzy wrote on Oct 11, 2011 6:22 PM:

" Waste of our tax dollars. If these signs were actually ever correct, I might change my mind, but it is ridiculous the fear and trepidation the signs cause when they are so routinely incorrect in the winter. NO information is better than MISinformation!! "

Always on wrote on Oct 10, 2011 10:01 AM:

" These overhead signs are ALWAYS flashing something though. If they wanted them to be effective, they should only be on when there is an actual warning so people take notice instead of assuming it is another advertisement for not driving drunk. "

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