The ability to obtain real-time images from remote locations via roadcams and weathercams is one of the coolest features of the Internet. What follows is a list of web sites offering real-time web cams or videos. I'll add to this list as time goes by and, if you find a link that doesn't work (for some reason these pages seem to move around a lot), I'd appreciate it if you'd visit the contact page and let me know.
By the way; this list isn't in alphabetical order, rather, the roadcams are broken down into regions. On this first page, for example, you find links to roadcams for the seven western states.
While I've convinced Phil, theCyberTruckStop.com webmaster, that Mozilla Firefox is the best browser available for use; it remains a fact that a whole bunch of web cams can only be viewed in Internet Explorer. Sometimes you can download a plug-in that makes the web cam viewable in Firefox but, just to be sure, you might want to do your web cam viewing in Internet Explorer. You can download the latest version, IE7, by following this link.
Washington State DOT Road Cams
Washington State operates a wide network of road cams that can be used to check both traffic and road conditions and links to these web cams can be found on the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) web site. Besides the road cams, however, the WSDOT site also offers more detailed current highway and weather conditions. Included on the site are the following:
- Washington State Road Cams
- Highway Weather Closure Update
- Washington State Real Time Highway Weather Condition Update
- Washington State Real Time Mountain Pass Information
- Washington State Travel Alerts and Slowdowns
Oregon State DOT Road Cams
I've got a little utility installed on my laptop called the Desktop Sidebar; one of its features is a slide show that can be programmed to pull webcam images off various sites. With this feature I can see the real-time road conditions, for example, on the Santiam Pass and Willamette Pass in the Oregon Cascades. Of course, the Oregon Department of Transportation offers a multitude of road cam choices on their TripCheck web site along with one really cool feature which is the option to create custom cam pages that can be named and saved on the site. Every time you visit their site, after setting up and saving at least one custom web cam page, you'll have the option of going directly to that page.
California State Live Streaming Highway Video Cams
The state of California has one of the most extensive road cam networks in the country. Of particular interest to most truck drivers, especially in the winter, are the video cameras found in District 2 and District 3. A complete list of Live Streaming Video Cams is also included on the Caltrans web site.
Other important and useful bits of info that can be found on the Caltrans web site include the California Truck Map, which indicates legal truck routes, and current chain controls. Once again, District 2 and District 3 chain control maps will be of high interest to most truckers.
Idaho State Road Cams and Driving Conditions
The Traveler Services department, located within the pages of the Idaho Transportation Department web site, offers information relevant to truckers that goes beyond their highway web cams. On the site, along with the web cams, you'll also find a road map indicating current winter driving conditions, current and future road work projects as well as map including information specifically for trucker's; clicking on an icon, in either the road work or trucker's map, opens a pop-up window with some really useful information. Some of the worst winter road conditions I've ever experienced have been found within the state of Idaho so, if you're heading for Idaho I'd suggest you check out their well organized and informational web site.
Nevada Department of Transportation Travelers Information
For whatever reason the Nevada DOT doesn't offer web cam views of their highways. That doesn't mean, however, that they offer nothing whatsoever. The NDOT web site features a section, devoted to travelers, that offers current road and weather condition information.
Utah State Highway Cams
Utah employs more than 200 closed-circuit streaming video cameras to monitor portions of the Utah state highway system. According to their web site: "The cameras are spaced approximately every half mile on I-15, I-215, I-80, and the 2100 South Freeway. In addition, cameras are installed at various locations on US-89, US-6, I-84, and Bangerter Highway, as well as at key intersections on surface streets. Camera coverage is also expanding in the Ogden and Provo areas."
By visiting the Utah Commuter Link page a wealth of information, including cameras, construction, incidents and current weather, is readily and easily accessible. Unfortunately, even though there are a multitude of cameras, the mountain passes seem to have been left out of the mix. Hopefully, Utah will continue to expand their closed-circuit video capabilities and include cameras in the areas most susceptible to adverse weather.
Arizona State Travelers Information
While the Arizona Department of Transportation makes use of web cams, the ADOT camera locations are restricted to Phoenix and Tucson. There is, however, a lot of useful, current, information available on the ADOT 511 web site that can prepare truckers and travelers for a safe journey in and through the Grand Canyon State.
