GAINESVILLE - Blustery winds and heavy rain made Monday evening's commute a hazardous one for drivers headed home, as state police reported numerous crashes around north central Florida. The poor conditions in Gainesville kept officials with the city's traffic management system very busy.

 

With several reports of stoplights that weren't working, people with the Gainesville-Alachua County "Smartraffic" system closely monitored the roadway conditions throughout Alachua County. 

 

In the event of a serious accident, the system allows first responders to arrive at the scene quicker by guiding them through traffic using their signal priority controls. Public works' officials say they work closely with emergency and transportation officials during hazardous weather conditions, like those seen Monday evening. 

 

In addition to the cameras mounted at intersections in Gainesville, Smartraffic just brought online several interstate cameras overlooking portions of I-75, including Paynes Prairie. Select cameras are available for the public to view on Smartraffic's website, gac-smartraffic.com