Drivers traveling through a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson are often met with severe dust storms, the result of Arizona’s summer monsoon season. These storms play a significant role in crashes and fatalities. The Arizona Department of Transportation’s (ADOT’s) recently-finished $72 million improvement project looks to aid drivers through these storms with a first-of-its-kind dust detection and dynamic response system. A combination of short-range dust gages and a long-range weather radar dish that can detect dust storms from over 40 miles away feed into a closed-circuit camera system. ADOT can then dynamically slow speed limits and update message boards to keep drivers safe through adverse conditions. In addition, the project added a new travel lane in each direction of the 10-mile route to decrease congestion along the busy I-10.
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Photo courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation.
