Informing the public on current road conditions

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - “I got a crash I80 North Bound at Mt. Rose I’ve got a semi-truck went through the median blocking the number one and number two north bound....”

This wasn’t the first nor the last call made to crews with NDOT concerning a traffic accident on one of the many Nevada roadways monitored here at the Road Operations Center.

Here at the center, 24 monitors track some of the busiest Nevada Highways in our area. On a snowy day like today, some roads just appear wet, others are blanketed with snow but still passable.

“We are watching the roads seeing how traffic is flowing,” says Jennifer Bahmiller. Operations Program Supervisor. “Making sure that nothing seems to be backing up. Watching for crashes or backups that might indicate crashes.”

Ever wondered who is responsible for the information imparted get on the NV Roads App, or 511, it comes from here.

Personnel can see if there’s a problem by monitoring the roadways. They can get calls from their maintenance crews, or information from the Nevada Highway Patrol. The California Highway Patrol or CAL-Trans notifies this center when Interstate 80 over the summit is closed.

Crews can indicate that on maps and even highway signs for drivers wanting to get to California.

“We are providing a service,” says Bahmiller. “We are getting information out to the public, telling them what the roads are looking like. They can look at it from their phone, at home hopefully. to see what they are looking at when they are going out. They can pull up cameras they can look at the road conditions. They can see if there is a crash somewhere.”

Bahmiller says this can be a calm or stressful job depending upon the weather or other conditions presented on Nevada roadways.

NDOT Crews on the road will tell you this winter the work has been unending.

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