Plows In Use & Icy Road Conditions
Who typically calls the TMC to activate "Snow Plows In Use" Messages?
HMS (or Area's Garage).
Who can request Towing Not Recommended?
&
Who can approve them?
Answer 1 = Anyone can request Towing Not Recommended.
Answer 2 = Iowa State Patrol or HMS (Area's On Call).
What two Agencies collaborate in a decision-making process to close an interstate segment for safety concerns?
Iowa DOT & Iowa State Patrol
Who usually requests Snowplows and for what purpose?
Answer 1 = Law Enforcement Agencies.
Answer 2 = Slick Roads (Snow/Drifts/Treat Roadway/etc).
What "Times" does the TMC check the Winter Road Segments to make sure they are Updated/Accurate?
Every Odd Hour: 1am, 3am, 5am, and so on.
For OH & SM/PDMS Boards, what are the messages for Snow Plows on the Roadway?
OH = Snow Plows / In Use / Use Caution
PDMS/SM shown below:
1st Phase: Snow / Plows / In Use
2nd Phase: Use / Caution
What event type is Towing Not Recommended entered into OTMS as and what is the location Type for these events?
Answer 1: As a Weather Event
Answer 2: Location Type to "Area"
When the TMC is contacted about shutting down or potentially shutting down an Interstate, what is the first step they should take?
Contact the DOT On-Call & TMC On-Call and send a text to the Executive Leadership Group.
Where does the TMC enter requests for Snowplows?
In Dashboard under the Plow Request section.
What button does the TMC press to update the time stamp for the 2-Hour Winter Road Segments?
Statewide Update
For OH & SM/PDMS Boards, what are the messages for Ice on the Roadway?
OH = Conditions / Icy Conditions / Reduce Speed
PDMS/SM shown below:
1st phase: Caution / Icy / Roads
2nd Phase: Reduce / Speed
In the EIN, how do you: add a County with Towing Not Recommended, and end a County's Towing Not Recommended.
Answer 1 = This should automatically add itself when an event is entered in OTMS for said county. If after 10 minutes it remains, a Dashboard Issue Ticket should be entered.
Answer 2 = This should automatically remove itself when removed from OTMS. If after 10 minutes it remains, a Dashboard Issue Ticket should be entered.
When the Planned Winter Interstate Closure is approved and being entered, what events need entered into OTMS?
Answer 1: Floodgate(s) in Incidents Section and Winter Closure(s) in Weather Events Section
If plows are seen in the area that snowplows were requested, what should you do?
If a regular plow request and plows are seen in the area, simply work the plow request form and submit it. No call is needed.
If the plow request is an emergency plow request, DOT assistance is requested to assist with an active incident, plows aren't seen in the area, or multiple vehicles are affected in one location...then a plow request needs to be filled out and a phone call to the HMS/Garage Staff is required.
What "two" website locations can the TMC check to see if CARS Segments updated in real time.
CARS & Iowa DOT 511 website (511ia.org)
(True/False)
There is a DMS Format that combines Snow Plows In Use & Icy Road Conditions, which is known as the Hybrid Message Format.
True
When does an EIN populate for Towing Not Recommended Events?
Only when the 1st Towing Not Recommended is made. All others after the 1st will not generate an EIN due dashboard coding, and all events can be in the same Winter Weather EIN.
Extra Information: There is a Dashboard Rule in place that allows the above function. If a Winter Weather EIN was created for training purposes in the past, and never deleted, Dashboard will not make a new event until the old one was removed, due to the Dashboard Rule.
In CARS Segments, what does the TMC change the segment type to for the area(s) affected by a Planned Winter Interstate Closure?
Impassable
Bonus Question:
When 1 direction opens up and the other remains shut down, what should the segments be changed to?
What information does an Operator need to gather for a Snowplow Request (4 answers total)
1. Agency Calling
2. Road Name
3. Start & End Mile Markers (Side Streets/Towns)
4. What is specifically needed for the DOT Plow (salt/plowing snow/etc).
What is an Anomaly when referring to Winter Road Segments?
Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
TMC Example: When an area's segment is different from all of the surrounding area's segments.
When should these messages be turned off (2 potential answers)?
1. HMS (Area's On Call) reports to turn Messages off.
2. TMC observes conditions have improved and no longer see snow plows active, a call will be made to the HMS (Area's On call) to see if the Messages can be turned off.
When do you Send & Clear the Winter Weather EIN?
Only when all Winter Weather Events have all been reported cleared.
What are the 6 planned sections of interstate and DOT maintained roadways that may be closed due to the impassable conditions?
(Answers can be Roadways from point A to B)
What is a Low-Volumed Route (LVR)?
From the hours of 10pm to 4am, plows will generally not be on the Low-Volume Routes (LVR’s).
These routes have a low volume of traffic between these hours and resources will focus on the higher volume routes during these hours.
Who is called when an Anomaly is located and who can update that Anomaly?
Answer 1 = HMS (Area's On Call).
Answer 2 = HMS (Area's On Call) &/or the TMC if asked to.