SPRINGFIELD – With cold weather settling in and the first major winter storm of the season potentially on its way, the Illinois Department of Transportation is reminding the public to visit and bookmark GettingAroundIllinois.com for continually updated information on road conditions. Weather can change quickly in Illinois, so whether you’re driving a short distance or taking a longer trip, GettingAroundIllinois.com is an essential resource to keep you updated 24/7/365 on road conditions throughout the state all winter long.

“Our No. 1 priority is making sure roads are safe for the motoring public, but you should always prepare yourself before taking any trips,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “Completely clearing roads during and after a weather event can take some time and depends on a variety of factors. We will get the job done, but ask the public to please remain patient during winter weather and always check GettingAroundIllinois.com before driving anywhere for the most updated road conditions.”

GettingAroundIllinois.com is available on your computer and optimized for smartphones. The site includes the ability to identify and zoom in on a location, travel route or destination on a state map. Road conditions are recorded by plow drivers out in the field and relayed to GettingAroundIllinois.com through a cloud-based system to provide a general overview on IDOT-maintained highways.

The road conditions map averages more than 2.5 million pageviews during snow-and-ice season, featuring a color scheme of pinks and blues to differentiate from the red, yellow and green of traffic congestion reporting, as well as to increase accessibility for those who have difficulty distinguishing colors.

Like others in the transportation industry, IDOT has seen the demand grow for workers with commercial driver’s licenses. The department has positions open for temporary and permanent highway maintainers for snow removal this winter. For more information, visit idot.illinois.gov.