Get Information On Construction Work Zones Before Hitting Roads

Posted 5:59 a.m. Jun 5, 2002 — Updated 5:59 a.m. Jun 5, 2002

RALEIGH, N.C. — For motorists, sometimes the message signs just do not cut it. By the time some motorists get the information, they are hopelessly stuck in work zone construction traffic. The state Department of Transportation is trying to change that.

With the huge traffic jams in the Interstate 95 work zone in Cumberland County, the state decided to try its first

smart work zone experiment

in that area.

A radar gun first measures the speed of passing traffic. On the top of a pole is an antenna that sends information to the changeable message signs. Just below that is a DOT camera, just like the ones along I-40. All the information is then sent by satellite where it can be downloaded onto the Web.

The idea is to provide more accurate information to drivers on the road.

"If you were driving through, you would say, 'Hey, I've got a 20-minute delay ahead. I think I'll get off here and just bypass the whole hassle,'" DOT engineer Ron Cannady said.

DOT officials said they hope to have live camera views of the work zone on the Web in a week.

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