Monsoon: Powerful storm put ADOT's dust detection system to the test
Monsoon: Storm tests ADOT dust detection system
The massive monsoon storm that made its way through the Phoenix area on Aug. 25 put some new technology that ADOT installed to the test. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has more on the agency's dust detection system.
PHOENIX - The Arizona Department of Transportation's dust detection system, a pilot program unlike any other in the country, faced one of its first real tests during a powerful monsoon storm on Monday, Aug. 25.
The backstory:
Installed five years ago, the system is designed to prevent catastrophic crashes during dust storms when visibility can suddenly vanish.
"The visibility can drop to almost zero instantly," said Garin Groff, a public information officer for ADOT. "I mean, it can go from day to night before you know it and you can't see anything."
That danger is why ADOT implemented the program on a stretch of Interstate 10 between Phoenix and Tucson.
"There had been a history of crashes that occurred during dust storms," Groff said. "This area is especially prone to blowing dust."
Specifically, in a 10-mile section between Eloy and Picacho, the pilot program includes visibility detectors, speed sensors in the pavement, overhead message boards, cameras, and variable speed limit signs.
"All of these things work together to detect when blowing dust reduces visibility, and then the system will activate variable speed limit signs that will drop the speed limit," Groff said.
Big picture view:
During Monday’s storm, which brought a wall of dust estimated to be thousands of feet high, the technology worked as it was supposed to when the dust moved into the detection corridor.
"The system worked as designed by sensing that visibility was reduced, and then it activated those variable speed limit signs, and it dropped the speed limit down from the regular 75 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour," Groff explained. "This allowed vehicles to move more safely through this corridor when blowing dust reduced visibility."
While he’s glad the system functioned as planned, Groff still says the best option during these storms is to avoid the road altogether. "You don't want to be caught in one of these," he said.
By the numbers:
The Arizona Department of Public Safety reported 46 collisions in Maricopa and Pinal counties between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday. However, only one collision report indicated blowing sand or dust, and no crashes have been definitively connected to the storm.