The objectives of this study were to monitor and evaluate the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet\u27s Road Weather Information System (RWIS). Six systems were installed and all became operational in November 1997. Each site includes sensors which measure temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, wind speed, pavement temperature, surface condition, and chemical concentration. The data can be accessed remotely using a Windows-based software program. The data are also stored in a central database for future use. The accuracy of the system was evaluated through comparison of atmospheric data with airport data and through site observations of surface condition, pavement temperature, and air temperature. The reliability was evaluated by reviewing the history log files to locate gaps in the data. Problems with individual sensors were also documented. The accuracy of the system was found to be good for the sensors that could be directly evaluated. The reliability was satisfactory with the larger gaps in data being caused by delays in detecting minor problems. Maintenance. of the system was a problem during the evaluation period. Additional installations of RWIS are not recommended until a more formalized process is developed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for use of the data in management of winter weather events
