CDOT Installing Weather Sensors on Northbound I-25 Tonight

LARIMER/WELD COUNTIES — Tonight, September 8, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) maintenance crews will install Road Weather Information System (RWIS) sensors on northbound I-25 between mile marker (MM) 257 and MM 259 (Airport Road/Crossroads Boulevard). To complete the work, one lane of northbound I-25 will be closed from approximately 8 p.m. tonight until 6 a.m. tomorrow.

“RWIS sensors are an important technology for CDOT as well as motorists as they provide real-time weather and driving conditions,” said CDOT Maintenance Supervisor Phillip Anderle. “This information is then provided to our road and weather condition hotline and website to help motorists plan ahead and help CDOT maintenance crews battle snow storms.”

The sensors are configured to measure air temperature, barometric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, visibility, and relative humidity. They can also report road surface information such as precipitation, and can detail the thickness of layers of ice, sleet, or snow.

Using the information provided by the sensors, CDOT crews can better forecast predictions for road conditions as well as inform the public about current conditions. The information can then be used to determine when and where snow plows need to be deployed during a snow storm. Altogether, there are nearly 20 sensors in northern Colorado and more than 100 around the state.

To review the data received from the RWIS sensors, visit www.cotrip.org and click on “Devices” and then “Weather Stations.” You can also obtain current road and weather conditions by visiting www.cotrip.org or calling 511.  To receive updates about road conditions in the area, visit www.coloradodot.info and click on the green cell phone icon in the upper right hand corner of the page.