ND officials beef up website for winter driving

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - With the first snowstorm of the season poised to blow into North Dakota this weekend, transportation officials are promoting new tools to give motorists a better idea of conditions.

The Department of Transportation says its revamped website is a "one-stop shop of winter travel information." The site includes a scrolling message center with advisories and closures, a wind speed chart, real-time weather cameras with multiple views, and a zoom feature that can focus on specific state highways.

The website is http://www.dot.nd.gov/ . People who can't access the Internet can dial 511 for updated information. Officials also are hoping that recent memory will make people more cautious. A blizzard just last March left about 800 motorists stranded across the state. Law enforcement and emergency management received 3,273 storm-related calls within 35 hours.

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