More Cameras on the Highway

New technology is helping Nova Scotia motorists make safer travel plans.

The Department of Transportation and Public Works has installed new-generation highway cameras with infrared light sources that work 24 hours a day -- even in darkness and harsh outdoor environments. The cameras allow motorists to check road and weather conditions before heading out on Nova Scotia highways.

Five new cameras have been installed at four new sites, one each in Pubnico, Bucklaw and Lake Echo, and two in Waverley. Currently, two of the new sites are set up to make night images possible. Images from all highway cameras are available on the department's website at www.gov.ns.ca/tran/cameras/camera.asp .

"Highway users now have a new way to check road conditions if they are travelling at night," said Ron Russell, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "While not all of our cameras have infrared technology, Nova Scotia's portion of the national highway system now has a camera every 25 to 40 kilometres."

The cameras are part of the province's road weather information systems -- called RWIS. The RWIS sites are automated weather reporting stations with special sensors embedded in the road and on nearby towers. These systems collect detailed data on weather conditions at and near the road surface. The stations are mounted with web cameras that provide staff and travellers with real-time images of highways. With the use of the RWIS sites, department staff can also track storms throughout the province and call in snowplow operators when needed.

The number of highway cameras has increased along with their popularity. The department had just 13 cameras in February 2003. Today there are 37 cameras online.

The Department of Transportation and Public Works' website receives about 150,000 weekly visits to the highway cameras page in winter.

The majority of the images on the site show Nova Scotia's highways during daylight hours. The images are not meant to replace official weather and highway report information, but are provided as an additional source of information to the travelling public.