Arizona congressman pushes National Weather Service to approve radar agreement
Doppler radar has sat idle for at least four years
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Arizona Rep. Greg Stanton sent a letter Tuesday to the director of the National Weather Service, urging him to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation.
The agreement would allow the NWS to receive data from a Doppler radar that has stood idle for years, helping to warn emergency managers of approaching dust storms.
Arizona’s Family Investigates first reported on the status of the radar. The letter cites the investigation which was published on June 20.
The letter is addressed to Ken Graham and states, “I write today to urge the National Weather Service to expedite the intergovernmental agreement for the X-band Doppler radar system located on Interstate 10 between Tucson and Phoenix in Arizona.”
It goes on to state, “...data from this radar is not transmitting to the National Weather Service (NWS), where meteorologists would share warnings with traffic and emergency managers.”
The radar is part of a $6.5 million dust detection system that ADOT designed between 2016 and 2019. The system includes dust sensors, programmable speed limit signs and the radar system.
Located along a 10-mile stretch of Interstate 10 near Picacho Peak, it’s an area notorious for dangerous driving conditions during dust storms.
An ADOT spokesman told Arizona’s Family Investigates that the freeway sensors and programmable speed limit signs are working and have been triggered more than 50 times. But he said the radar has been mired in government bureaucracy.
“There is good news, even after four years. And that is we’re good on our side. We have an agreement over to the weather service and it’s my understanding that it’s at the regional office. If it comes back signed we’re ready to go,” explained ADOT’s Steve Elliott.
Rep. Stanton, a Democrat who represents Phoenix, wrote: “Connecting the radar quickly will benefit all motorists on this stretch of highway. I urge the NWS to use all the tools at their disposal to get this agreement over the finish line.”
You can read the entire letter from Rep. Greg Stanton below.
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