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W.Va. highways getting weather, road data network

July 02, 2008 @ 07:50 PM

The Associated Press

The Associated Press

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (AP) _ Over the next five years, West Virginia's four-lane thoroughfares will be converted to information highways to help motorists and highway crews stay ahead of changing weather patterns and road conditions.

The Division of Highways is completing work on a 12-site network of weather stations on Interstate 64 between Charleston and the Kentucky line and updating five along the West Virginia Turnpike. Subsequent phases will address interstates 68, 70, 79 and 81 and the state's Appalachian corridor system, said Bruce Kenney, coordinator of the DOH's intelligent transportation system.

The ultimate goal is to save money by having better information about conditions along the state's major four-lane routes. Instead of sending a truck and driver out to check on conditions, hundreds of miles can be monitored from Charleston, he said.

"It's information pure and simple," Kenney said. "If you have advanced information, you're better off."

The weather stations will track temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed and overall weather trends. The information will be transmitted to Charleston where it will be translated into a weather report and posted on a public Web site. Information on the sites will be updated every five seconds.

Information also will be relayed to the National Weather Service in Charleston, Kenney said. Eventually, the information will be available to motorists via their cell phones or vehicle satellite systems and at kiosks located at state travel centers.

In addition to keeping track of the weather, sensors embedded in the pavement will give highway crews a host of information ranging from the potential formation of black ice to how much salt is on the roadway.

The stations will generally be placed about 30 miles apart, depending on terrain.