WYDOT announces upgrades to 511 website, web cameras

The Wyoming Department of Transportation reports the upgrading of the agency’s 511 travel information website, www.wyoroad.info, to provide more reliable and secure services to the public.

According to WYDOT, the 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 have led to a more dependable and secure website when travelers need it most.

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

The website also has a new banner to attract potential employees 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 recent 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To further enhance the 511 website’s reliability, WYDOT is replacing 61 inoperable and/or outdated web cameras and related infrastructure around the state.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.

WYDOT reports these upgrades are due to persistent technical challenges with outdated equipment.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 cell phone 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; WYDOT does ask that motorists not use their phone while driving. WYDOT’s 511 tools remain the agency’s official source for road and weather information.