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FHWA 11-04
Contact: Brian C. Keeter or Nancy Singer
Tel: 202-366-0660
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Nation’s Top Highway Official Helps Launch New North Carolina Road and
Traffic Information Service
Motorists Can Dial 511 For Current Travel Conditions And Road Closures
North Carolina drivers now will be able to get up-to-the minute information
about local road and traffic conditions by calling 511, Federal Highway
Administrator Mary E. Peters and state highway officials announced today.
The new system, called “511” after the number drivers can dial for the
information, is available statewide starting today. The new system allows
callers to gather the latest information about traffic jams, road construction
and alternative routes in and around the state. The North Carolina 511 system
also will provide the latest train and ferry information.
“People’s lives don’t have to be put on hold by unexpected traffic jams and
delays,” said Peters. “Starting today, North Carolina’s drivers can make one
phone call and get the information they need to be on time for their jobs, their
errands and, most importantly, their families.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) provided a $100,000 grant to help
North Carolina develop its 511 service.
Peters said DOT is encouraging all 50 states to establish 511 systems.
Twenty-one 511 systems are currently up and running in other parts of the
country. In some of those areas, as much as 97 percent of drivers who use 511
say they have changed their travel routes because of the information provided.
The first 511 service was launched in the Cincinnati metropolitan area in 2001.
With 511 service now available in North Carolina, almost 25 percent of the total
U.S. population lives in areas covered by a 511 system. By the end of 2005, half
the population is expected to have access to the travel information service.
More information about 511 and national traffic and road closure information is
available on the FHWA Web site at
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo/index.htm.
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