511 Traffic Systems

511 Availability

While you may be familiar with the 411 and 911 telephone services, you're probably not aware of the 511 service, because it is not yet available in Arkansas. However, sometime in the future it may be available, so we've included some information for you about the system. Plus, you can utilize this helpful service when traveling through states that deploy it.

Background

To increase the ease and safety in which we travel on our roadways, the U.S. Department of Transportation created the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), with the approval of the Federal Communications Commission.

The information collected by the ITS can be used to alert drivers when something may impair their ability to travel safely and efficiently to their destination, such as an accident, poor weather, treacherous roadway conditions, road construction, or a detour.

The plan was to create a national system in which motorists could dial 511 on their phones and obtain the current roadway data. The service was meant to be mostly free, and was to contain much more detail than available on a standard local television or radio traffic report.

The genesis for this plan began in 1999. However,like many plans, this one has been slow to implement, and has gradually unfolded throughout the country.
Visit the Federal Highway Administration's 511 site to see which areas of the country are participating in the system, and which will be joining soon.

511 Access

If you're traveling through a state in which the service has been activated, access the information simply by calling 511 on your cell or landline phone, and following the instructions. Some states also have ITS sites, allowing you to view the information online.