While you're watching the road, they are watching you.

"The Smart Traffic Center is an area where we have operators who monitor the cameras that are on I-81. We've got four pilot cameras that were put up this last year," said VDOT's Sandy Myers.

The goal of the system is to get information about road conditions to travelers as fast as possible.

"They can put messages instantly on the message boards that are along the I-81 corridor, and they can add that information to the 511 telephone system," said Myers.

Myers says Staunton's Smart Traffic Center is the first to be installed in a rural area of Virginia. And when the worst weather hits this weekend, VDOT hopes to provide more up to date information about road conditions than ever before.

"So if you're traveling, before you even leave if you call 511, you'll know exactly where the accidents are, you'll see what the traffic conditions are, and you can plan ahead," said Myers.

The cameras can't see every inch of highway in the valley, so VDOT still has to rely most heavily on its crews on the ground.

But they expect to install more cameras by next winter.