PennDOT to unveil signs providing Parkway East travel times
Share with others:
Some might want to avert their glance, but the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is going to start telling parkway commuters how long it will take them to reach their destinations.
Starting at 6 a.m. Monday, message boards on the Parkway East will display estimated travel times from various points between Monroeville and Downtown.
The estimates will be computed from average speeds detected by sensors that are mounted on traffic camera poles. The information will be displayed continuously at all hours of the day and night and in both directions "unless there's a higher-priority message, like a crash," spokesman Jim Struzzi said.
"By having this real-time information displayed on message boards, motorists will be better able to predict how much time it might take to reach their destinations, and, during times of heavy traffic, possibly consider alternate routes," said Dan Cessna, PennDOT District 11 executive.
The department has eight message signs on the Parkway East and about 27 microwave sensors, with one sign and two more sensors under construction.
The message boards will display the estimated time in minutes to reach various points, Mr. Struzzi said.
"Obviously, people have to bear in mind it's an estimate," he said.
The service will be added on the Parkway West and Parkway North in the next few months, and expanded to other roads over the coming years, he said.
The cameras, sensors and message boards are part of an ongoing program by PennDOT to improve the flow of information to drivers in hopes it also will improve traffic flow.
The department has 148 cameras deployed in Allegheny County, with construction or planning under way for about 35 more on the Parkways West, East and North, Interstate 79, I-579, the Boulevard of the Allies, the 10th Street Bypass, Route 22 in Monroeville, Route 51 in Coraopolis and at Woodruff Street and Route 65.
The cameras monitor traffic but are not used for speed or traffic law enforcement.
PennDOT also plans to add 15 message boards to the 24 already in place, and 35 speed sensors to bring the total to 173.
Drivers can view real-time camera images, average highway speeds and other traffic information on the 511pa.com website, which also is accessible to smart phones and other mobile devices.
First Published May 7, 2011 12:00 am
