Date:  Friday, September 30, 2011

Contact: Alice Fiman, WSDOT Communications, 360-705-7080 (Olympia)

OLYMPIA – Even websites and phone lines need to get ready for fall and winter storms.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) website, which more than 75,000 people per day visit in the summer months, will get a second much-needed update Saturday night, Oct. 1. Just like the recent website outage in August, the look won’t change but the upgrade will ensure that the services will be there when travelers need them in the winter months.

When snow and ice hit, WSDOT’s website can receive close to 500,000 visits per day, and the 511 traveler information hotline also can be a hot commodity.

And as these systems get ready for winter, it’s also a time to think about how to prepare your car for winter weather. Tips are available on the WSDOT website at www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter. It’s also a time to check out WSDOT’s social media tools and email lists, which are a key communications tool, especially during winter storms.

The website maintenance, which consists primarily of upgrading key electrical equipment to handle the increased demands that occur during winter storms, will take place from 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, to 6 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2.

While technicians are working, the following services will be unavailable:

• The WSDOT website (www.wsdot.wa.gov)
• The 511 traveler information hotline
• Data such as camera images and alerts on the iPhone and Android mobile apps

The outage may not last the entire time, but travelers are encouraged to find information about their Sunday trips before Saturday evening.

WSDOT will still have its social media tools available this weekend, but drivers should plan ahead for the weather dependent I-405 closure.

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WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state's transportation systems. To learn more about what we're doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic or by dialing 511.

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