INDIANAPOLIS— The Indiana Department of Transportation is now using four of its dynamic message signs — one in Clark County — to display travel time information when not being used to alert motorists to upcoming incidents, congestion or road conditions.
Of the 60 such signs across the state, four are being tested with the travel time information. Locations are:
• I-65 southbound at the 8 mile marker — displays travel time to the Kentucky state line via I-65 (8 miles), as well as to the Kentucky state line via I-64 (11 miles).
• I-69 northbound at mile marker 212 — displays travel time to Ind. 109 (14 miles), I-469 (84 miles) and to the Michigan state line (145 miles).
• I-69 southbound at the 317 mile marker — displays travel time to the U.S. 30 exit (8 miles), the U.S. 24 exit (15 miles), and to the I-465 interchange (117 miles).
• I-69 northbound at the 294 mile marker — displays travel time to the U.S. 30 exit (15 miles), the S.R. 1 exit (22 miles) and the Michigan state line (63 miles).
“Using message boards for pertinent travel time information is intended to give motorists a snapshot of how the interstate is performing along their route at the time they are passing the sign,” said Ed Cox, managing engineer of corridor operations, in a news release.
Should the test of the four DMS be successful, INDOT plans to add travel time information to select boards across the state.
Displaying travel times on such boards will expand on the 26 travel time signs already in use across the state. Travel time signs are traditional highway signs, usually with two destinations shown and electronic inserts indicating the minutes of travel to those destinations. INDOT will continue to use dedicated travel time signs within the state’s larger metro areas to reserve DMS for priority incident and congestion messages.
Estimated travel times for both DMS and dedicated travel time signs are based on information gathered from road sensors that measure a variety of factors, including average vehicle speed and traffic volumes. INDOT has developed algorithms to ensure the travel time information displayed is as accurate as possible.
“The travel times display both distance and times to travel to allow motorists to make informed decisions on the route that they are traveling,” Cox said. “The purpose of the sign is to allow motorists to decide whether to stay on their current route or to take an alternative route.”
Travel time signs, as well as real-time traffic conditions, can be viewed online at pws.trafficwise.org/pws/