TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT: Upcoming storm to test new traffic command for ADOT

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s new traffic command center is gearing up for an upcoming winter storm in the region.

More than $2 million in Federal Highway Administration dollars were invested in the command hub. The center has around 40 screens that can be monitored at once, and operators can adjust camera angles to provide more detailed information to the public, Department of Public Safety officials and crews in the field, ADOT spokesman Doug Pacey told ABC15 Arizona.

Pacey said they are preparing for several inches of snow in some areas when the storm hits Thursday and into Friday.

"We want the roads to be safe," he said. "We put out deicer and have plows standing by."

The upgrade also included improvements to the 511 traffic information line. The system can now handle 1,000 calls, compared to about 150 before the upgrade.