Wyoming 511

Just came from Buffalo to Tensleep. The app had notice of “Commercial Vehicle Testing Operations,” so we called Buffalo DOT Maintenance about expected delays and were assured we’d notice almost nothing. Nowhere on the app nor in our call was the 15-minute wait for a flag car nor the chip and seal operation with loose gravel that went from the Sheep Mountain Lookout Road to the Washakie County line with 45 mph speed limit. Nowhere was the 5-minute wait for flag car along Tensleep Creek with a drop down to mud for a short distance between the end of the canyon and Tensleep. NO INFO. Don’t trust this app. It’s not updated as it should be.

This app shows conditions on both local roads and highways. I wish there was a stated color legend, but it’s fairly obvious, and you can click on icons to see current alert and condition posts. Drill down to city streets is great. I notice that I have to reload this app if I have not used it in awhile— like most other apps. It works; an update in graphics would be good, but the actual detailed Hwy department data is indispensable. The trucker who went astray on the high elevation Beartooth Hwy should have been using this.

Downloading now. Hopeful. So far WDOT’s twitter feed is the most useful thing. WDOT’s webpage is really hard to use on an ipad or iPhone. Not sure about the computer but I need it to work on my phone. While I’m stopped at a rest stop with minimal cell data. Roads need better labels for casual non-professional drivers. I’m really looking for a system to alert me of dangerous weather conditions on the road from Fort Collins to Laramie — that pass can turn nasty in an instant while road conditions everywhere else are fine. There must be a large number of kids and parents and shoppers traveling from Laramie to Colorado. Many are novice drivers.