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DENVER (KDVR) — Update 10/5: CDOT held a press conference to walk through how to use the new features on the site. You can watch it on FOX31 NOW in the player above.

Original Story: Winter weather is right around the corner and that means it will soon be time to start tracking winter weather road conditions.

The Colorado Department of Transportation just launched a new version of its travel website and will launch the COtrip Planner mobile app on Friday.

Download the app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store starting on Oct. 1.

CDOT said the COtrip.org website has been around for nearly two decades but the new updated website will have features that will help travelers plan their route ahead of time, and be prepared for road or lane closures or adverse road conditions.

“This is an exciting time for our agency,” said Bob Fifer, CDOT’s branch manager of the Intelligent Transportation Systems & Network Services. “We are evolving legacy systems to better serve the traveling public. The new website brings more of our transportation technologies into one lens, improving the customer experience. We added several new features, while reducing system maintenance costs. Now, travelers can customize routes from point A to point B to see if their trip may be impacted by any road or lane closures. Motorists will have an easier time identifying road closures, road conditions and construction impacts, all while replacing outdated technologies.” 

The new site has bolder and brighter information. We pulled this snip from the site as an example:

Credit: CDOT

Here are the new features, according to CDOT:

Travel information with layers

Motorists can use the map as they would any Google map and click on the icons for more information. Icons are displayed on the map by checking or unchecking the boxes in the layers toolbar. Layers available and what data they provide are described here.

Trucker mode

The new Trucker Mode features resources specific to commercial motor vehicle operators, including the following layers defined here.

Travel alerts

Motorists can log-in in or sign up here for their own COtrip account to subscribe and manage their travel alerts. They can also save their favorite routes and cameras, and customize their travel preferences.

Social media

COtrip traveler information is automatically posted to the @ColoradoDOT Twitter feed. New roadway hashtags and Twitter threads were rolled out in Spring 2021, making it easier for users to track and stay updated on closures and incidents from CDOT. Follow @ColoradoDOT on Twitter for real-time travel information and road conditions. 

511 phone service

The 511 telephone service is an interactive, voice-activated traffic information system motorists can access by calling 511 (within Colorado) or 1-800-288-1047 (nationwide). This system has not changed, and will continue to provide a real-time option for travelers to get road conditions and traffic information. Learn more about 511 and how to use this service here.