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?
1st Phase: Caution / Plows / In Use
2nd Phase: May Be / 40 MPH / Or Less
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 an Interstate, what is the first step they should do?
Contact the DOT On-Call & TMC On-Call
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 = Icy Conditions / Possible
SM & PDMS = Icy / Roads / Possible
In the EIN, how do you: add a County with Towing Not Recommended, end a County's Towing Not Recommended, and remove a County that was accidentally added to the EIN?
Answer 1 = left click on the County (will show red)
Answer 2 = if the County was already clicked on (shows red on map), left click to end the Towing Not Recommended (will show green).
Answer 3 = If the wrong County was selected (shows red), right click on the County and click "Remove." This will take the County off the EIN (will not show any colors after deselected).
When mapping a Winter Interstate Closure, what event type is this mapped under and what is the "Type" changed to?
Answer 1: Weather Event
Answer 2: Segment
If plows are seen in the area that snowplows were requested, what should you do?
Still call the HMS (Area's On call) to report the request.
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.
False:
As of November 2023, we do not have a Hybrid Message for Icy Road Conditions & Snow Plows in use.
When does an EIN populate for Towing Not Recommended Events?
Only when the 1st Tow Ban 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?
Impassable
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)
If you are unable to make contact with the area's HMS, GOA, or HTS, who is your next call going to be?
Area's DMM
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.