Worth noting, March 21, 2024

WYDOT’s website had 2.2 billion hits in 2022, and that much traffic can impact WYDOT’s servers. Recent improvements implemented by the agency’s Intelligent Transportation Systems team mean a more dependable and secure website when travelers need it most, WYDOT said in a news release.

“We know many travelers, and even our own employees, rely on our 511 tools every day,” said Vince Garcia, Intelligent Transportation Systems program manager. “These security and reliability upgrades were essential in maintaining public trust in this vital resource.”

The website has a new banner to attract job seekers to work for WYDOT, and Garcia said users who have bookmarked 511 travel information pages in the past should update their browser’s bookmarks.

Users who have relied on third-party aggregations of WYDOT’s website data may see interruptions in service due to the changes.

To further enhance the 511 website’s reliability, WYDOT is replacing 61 inoperable and/or outdated web cameras and related infrastructure around the state.

“We know how crucial the cameras are for the traveling public to put eyes on the road prior to traveling,” Garcia said.

These upgrades are due to persistent technical challenges with outdated equipment. Many of WYDOT’s road information cameras are in remote locations with harsh weather, limited electrical access, lack of internet or cellphone service and other challenges for WYDOT ITS staff.

The infrastructure upgrades will take place as weather, funding and supply chain availability allow.

Those factors will also impact camera prioritization, and WYDOT will try to prioritize cameras that have been malfunctioning the longest first.

WYDOT’s 222 web cameras around the state take photos of road conditions every few minutes to give travelers an idea of what road conditions could be like along their route. WYDOT reminds motorists that web cameras only show a snapshot of part of the road, and conditions could be worse in areas where cameras are not located.

WYDOT’s 511 tools are managed and updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week by the agency’s Transportation Management Center. The TMC updates road conditions listed on the website and mobile app based on reports made by boots-on-the-ground employees like snowplow operators and Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers. The public can help WYDOT by using the Wyoming 511 mobile app to submit photos of road conditions along the highway; please don’t use your phone while driving. WYDOT’s 511 tools remain the agency’s official source for road and weather information.

Laramie Chapter of the American Sewing Guild announces meeting topics

The Monday, March 25, meeting of the Laramie Chapter of the American Sewing Guild will be at 7 p.m. in Laramie First United Methodist Church, located at 1215 E. Gibbon St. Members and guests will be making “Singleton Fabric Covered Buttons” as presented in the Winter 2023 issue of Threads Magazine.

Participants are asked to bring small scissors, fabric scraps including wool, embroidery floss, beads, etc. The chapter will furnish rings, some thread options and fabric.

Other agenda items will include the group’s storage unit information and discussion, and volunteer sign-up to assist with the April 13 meeting, which will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Laramie Fire Department’s Fire Station No. 3 in West Laramie. The chapter will be presenting a free community workshop about “Learn to Sew on Your Machine.” Community members should register for a time by contacting Sue Green at srgreen54@yahoo.con or 954-703-9932.

There also will be a discussion about the May meeting, which will be presented by a new downtown business, Cosmomakers, and discuss plans for the September workshop and trunk show with Pamala Leggett. Members who have their International Community Service project African Dresses completed are encouraged to bring them. The chapter is asking that all dresses be completed and brought to the May meeting.

From Laramie Boomerang and Wyoming Tribune Eagle