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Iowa Road Conditions Improve

News

March 11th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

AMES, Iowa – March 11, 2013 – 9 a.m. update – Travel conditions in west and northeast Iowa improve as the storm moves out of Iowa. The National Weather Service’s forecast includes blustery northwest winds from 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph, through this afternoon.

Current Iowa road conditions: The 511 system is currently reporting roads in the Correctionville, Denison and Ida Grove areas are now open. Iowa 10 near Peterson is expected to be open before noon. Iowa 141 between Iowa 75 near Mapleton and Iowa 183 near Ute is reduced to one lane due to blowing snow. Roads in western and northeast Iowa are partially to completely snow covered.

Don’t Crowd the Plow:The Iowa DOT reminds the public that sharing the roadways with slow-moving snow removal equipment requires drivers to exercise extra precautions.

If you plan to travel today: Make sure a winter survival kit or emergency supplies are stowed in your vehicle with sufficient resources for all passengers. A mobile phone should also be carried for emergency use only. Don’t talk, take photos/video or text while driving. Persons should continue to exercise caution when traveling as the pavement can go quickly from wet to icy due to the snow blowing across the roadways. East-west roadways are particularly vulnerable.

Become a part in Iowa’s traffic information social network.
The Iowa DOT continues to urge motorists to provide feedback on travel conditions via Twitter and Facebook, while stopped in a safe location and not while driving.

  • Geotag photos and video: All smartphones have a global positioning system because of enhanced 911 service. If you are a social media user who likes to share photos and video during winter storms, be sure the geotagging feature on your mobile device is enabled. Then the location of where your photo/video was taken will be tagged.
  • Follow us: All traffic-related news releases and traffic incident reports are posted on the Iowa DOT’s Twitter accounts. Search for either @iowadot or @statewideia511.
  • Use the traffic hashtag: The Iowa DOT is using the hashtag #iatraffic during this event and recommends that other Twitter users do the same to find relevant tweets using that key phrase.
  • Tell us what you are seeing: Your information could be invaluable to others who are considering travel. You can also be another set of eyes for the Iowa DOT. When posting to Twitter, reference @iowadot in your post. Tag us in your posts and photos on Facebook.

The Iowa DOT offers travel information anytime by visiting http://www.511ia.org/or calling 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide).