“The South Dakota 511 mobile application is one more way to help South Dakotans travel safely,” said Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist, in a statement. “Travelers’ safety is our greatest concern, especially during the holiday season.”
The app tracks users on a virtual map of the highway system, and also displays the location of roadside cameras and visuals of more than 50 locations in South Dakota. National Weather Service alerts are available for severe weather, and the SDDOT Twitter site is connected to the site’s main menu. The app also syncs with surrounding states' apps and websites.
Travelers can also subscribe to email and text alerts for no-travel advisories, road closures and reopenings for the specific routes, days of the week and times of the day they need on the SafeTravelUSA website.
The Virginia DOT has been running a similar 511 program since May 2012, where users can look at real-time traffic cameras and estimated travel time on a Google-based interactive map. The map also displays various icons indicating traffic alerts, bridge closures, construction, weather, and roadway speed. Using this information, a driver can make a decision on whether an alternate route would be preferable to reach his or her destination.
“The whole system is tied into roadside times,” VDOT operations and security division administrator Tom Phillips told Government Technology when the app was released. “We’re showing differential travel times between two locations. Some states put that on the Web; we’re the first we know of to put it on a mobile platform. We’ve taken the whole state, and wherever you are your [mobile device] will give you travel times and speeds on the major roads around you.”
