RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) advance flood warning system is gaining national attention. The American Association of State Highway Transportation officials have recognized the system as a top 12 finalist in the 2023 America’s Transportation Awards competition.


What You Need To Know

  • The advance flood warning system shows officials key roads that could be in danger of flooding

  • Other DOTs across the country are inquiring about the technology

  • The system is up for a national award

  • The public can vote through Nov. 14

The system uses gauge stations to identify key roadways and bridges in danger of failing because of flooding.

“That’s why we say, you know, ‘turn around, don’t drown,’ and be aware of these areas. Especially for the transportation networks, because even just half a foot of water to wash your car away,” said engineer Kurt Golembesky, who has worked for NCDOT for the last 20 years.

After Hurricane Florence, the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) gave NCDOT a $2 million grant for the advance warning system.

While state officials have used flood gauges for many years, this system expands the network of gauges, providing data about specific roads and bridges covering a span of 3,000 miles mostly to the east of I-95.

“It’s saving lives,” Golembesky said. “It’s allowing us to prepare for, recover from events and our district engineers and maintenance staff as well, to do their job more efficiently and effectively.”

In June, NCDOT was able to effectively shut down a bridge in Polk County before it fully collapsed, all because of the data from the alert system. 

Now, other agencies want to bring the technology to their state. 

“We talk to Virginia regularly. Oregon, Colorado, to just make them aware of what we’re doing,” Golembesky said. “I do trainings to show what we’re doing and what our tools can do, so it’s definitely something that the other states look at and they think would be great if we could do this as well.”

The American Association of State Highway Transportation officials have recognized the system as a top 12 finalist in the 2023 America’s Transportation Awards competition.

If NCDOT can win that top prize by getting the most votes from the public, it will donate the $10,000 to charity.

You can place your vote here through Nov. 14.