Contact: Shannon McCarthy, 907-744-7360, shannon.mccarthy@alaska.gov
(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) – As part of a multi-year modernization effort, the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has made major upgrades to the statewide Road Weather Information System (RWIS), including the deployment of solar-powered weather cameras and broad repairs across its extensive highway monitoring network.
The DOT&PF’s RWIS system provides essential real-time weather and road condition information for travelers, emergency responders, and maintenance crews. Across Alaska’s vast and remote transportation system, these highway cameras are often the first—and sometimes only—way to assess conditions quickly and accurately.
Currently, Alaska DOT&PF’s RWIS network includes over 75 RWIS camera systems monitoring key routes across all regions of the state. Since 2023, the department has repaired, replaced, or upgraded over 20 camera systems, improving reliability and restoring functionality to sites that had long been offline due to age, power failures, or extreme weather. While the primary audience of the cameras are highway travelers, the department has found that Alaskans utilize the cameras for a variety of purposes, including aviation, with pilots checking areas for ground conditions, and back country travelers for avalanches caught in the background of images.
“This is not just about one camera—it’s about modernizing an entire system that allows us to be proactive, efficient, and responsive,” said Alaska DOT&PF Commissioner Ryan Anderson. “The work we’ve done to repair and upgrade our RWIS infrastructure is making it easier for both the public and our crews to stay informed and stay safe.”
☀ Spotlight: Turnagain Pass Goes Solar
One notable success story is the Turnagain Pass RWIS station on the Seward Highway. The site was recently converted to 100% solar power following a prolonged outage caused by generator failure. With new low-power cameras and high-capacity battery storage, this remote system now operates year-round—even through Alaska’s darkest months—without the need for fuel deliveries or regular maintenance.
The solar upgrade at Turnagain Pass is part of a broader DOT&PF initiative to integrate energy-efficient, low-maintenance solutions into Alaska’s highway infrastructure, especially in high-risk corridors with limited access.
These improvements conserve scarce public funds through smarter use of staff time and targeted deployment of technology.
RWIS system upgrades not only reduce on-site maintenance needs but also feed directly into improved maintenance management practices. Enhanced real-time data from restored cameras empowers DOT&PF to deploy plows, sanding operations, and incident response more precisely—saving operator time, materials and fuel.
“Our goal is to maintain safety and reliability across the system, and that means investing in tools that help our people be as efficient as possible,” said Commissioner Anderson.
The public can access real-time RWIS data and live highway camera feeds, including the newly upgraded Turnagain Pass station, at: roadweather.alaska.gov
For real time road conditions visit: Alaska 511.
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The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities oversees 237 airports, 9 ferries serving 35 communities along 3,500 marine miles, over 5,600 miles of highway and 839 public facilities throughout the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to “Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure.”
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