EDMONTON, Alta. – A new system of camera-equipped road weather information stations will enable travellers to see what conditions are like on Alberta’s highways before taking to the road.

Cameras mounted on 27 weather information sites throughout the province supply the images and are updated every 20 to 30 minutes. The cameras and photographs are used solely for observing weather and road conditions, not for law enforcement purposes.

Currently, images from nine of the 27 locations are available, with the rest becoming operational within the next six weeks. Motorists planning a trip are able to view the images of various locations of Alberta’s highway network at www.ama.ab.ca and at www.Drive-West.com.

The road weather information sites are composed of an embedded pavement sensor and a small tower. The pavement sensor measures pavement temperature and moisture level, while the tower contains equipment to measure air temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure and wind speed and direction.

The original 27 sites were installed during 2005 along Highways 1, 2, 16 and 43 at a cost of $2.7 million. By the end of 2007, a planned 75 sites will be operating in Alberta.