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DOT plans for winter emergencies

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Northbound traffic on Interstate 90/39 was at a near standstill and backed up as far as the eye could see south of Racine Street at midday on Thursday. Gov. Jim Doyle has called for a review of the emergency response to the situation, which left hundreds of motorists stranded—some for hours.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is planning changes before the winter driving season in response to February’s record snowstorm that stranded hundreds of motorists on the Interstate.

The department:

-- Plans to install traffic cameras in Rock County in November.

-- Is scheduled to hold a “table-top exercise” later this month to practice managing a severe winter storm.

-- Is working on a new communications system that will allow drivers instant access to traffic updates.

The department also is conducting an internal review of its emergency procedures, but it doesn’t expect to release a public summary of the results, a spokeswoman said.

Drivers were stranded for up to 12 hours on the Interstate the night of Feb. 6 after a foot and a half of snow fell in southern Wisconsin. Many of the stranded motorists spent the night in their cars with little or no access to food, water or medical supplies.

A report from the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs described numerous miscommunications and mistakes among agencies that night. It called the Wisconsin State Patrol’s leadership “ineffective,” and author Brig. Gen. Donald Dunbar of the Wisconsin National Guard marveled at the lack of information passed between agencies.

The mistakes didn’t cause the Interstate 90/39 backup, but they did make a bad situation worse, Dunbar wrote.

The report’s suggestions included:

--Developing plans to shut down the Interstate if warranted.

--Considering alternative means of communication for motorists.

--Reviewing emergency alert procedures and operations center procedures.

The state seems to be addressing elements of all three.

Tabletop exercise

The DOT and Wisconsin Emergency Management are planning a “tabletop exercise” later this month. Officials from various agencies will discuss a theoretical winter storm and the state’s response to it, said Lori Getter, Wisconsin Emergency Management spokeswoman. They will decide if they should close the Interstate, and if so, how.

The exercise originally was scheduled for June, but state officials were busy all summer responding to flooding, Getter said.

511 system

The state actually has been working on an alternative means of communication for drivers for a few years, said Peg Schmitt, DOT spokeswoman.

A “511” system, similar to the 911 system, should become operational in November, she said. Drivers will be able to call the number or check the Web site and get a traffic report—including road conditions, blockages and slowdowns—for anywhere on the state highway system.

“This is something that isn’t unique to Wisconsin,” she said. “There’s currently 31 states that have an active 511 system, so it’s nice because travelers become familiar with the idea.”

Traffic cameras

Also in November, the state plans to install traffic cameras on I-90 in Rock County.

The DOT bought the equipment for Rock County years ago. It set up poles and wiring but never installed the cameras because of concerns about operating and maintenance costs.

But after the February snowstorm, the DOT made camera installation a priority. The department plans to install eight cameras in Rock County at a cost of less than $200,000, said David Vieth, director of highway operations.

“We intend to have it ready to go for this winter season,” he said.

Vieth was unsure how much the cameras will cost to operate and maintain.

Internal review

Meanwhile, a committee appointed by transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi continues to review DOT emergency response procedures, Schmitt said.

David Collins, superintendent of the Wisconsin State Patrol, told The Janesville Gazette in May he expected the DOT to release the results of the review in summer or fall.

But Schmitt said last week the review probably won’t result in a formal report.

“What we’re really looking at is more, kind of, some internal guidelines that will better help our staff understand what the expectations are,” she said.

The State Patrol continues to train its staff, especially supervisors, in crisis response and management, Collins said.

And the agency isn’t focusing only on the negative, he said. The state learned a lot from successful responses to snowstorms later in the winter and to June’s flooding, which shut down parts of the Interstate.

“We don’t necessarily let Feb. (6) be the benchmark or the standard we measure everything off of,” he said. “We also base off of our successes.”