TDOT Approved to Move Forward with 511 Program
Statewide Traveler’s Information Program Begins in 14 Months

Nashville, Tenn.—Today the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA) approved a petition by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) allocating the telephone number 5-1-1 permanently to the Department for use in a new program that will be part of a nationwide traveler’s information initiative.

“I’d like to commend TDOT for work in the area of new technology,” said Pat Miller, TRA Chairman. “I strongly recommend approving this measure.”

In 2000, the Federal Communications Commission reserved 511 as a three-digit number for traveler information. As of June, 2004, twenty-one 511 services have already been implemented in states and regions across the country. TDOT received a federal grant in 2003 to develop an implementation plan for a 511 service. Today’s TRA decision allows the department to move forward with a plan to put its 511 service in place by September of 2005.

“511 will provide an easy-to-remember number for travelers to get information on road conditions, incidents, closures, construction activities, transit and other modes and other important information that could impact their travel,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “It’s not really a service for those already stuck in traffic, but instead will help people who are making plans before they leave.”

Nicely explained TDOT’s 511 system operators will work closely with Department of Transportation representatives from bordering states. “Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina already have their systems in place. We will share information from state to state constantly, in order to provide the most up-to-date travel information possible.”

According to TDOT, the initial 511 service will provide travelers with accurate and timely travel information and the call is free.

“The service will utilize an interactive voice response system,” said Judy Steele, Director of TDOT’S Community Relations Division. “We are developing an internal Travel and Safety Information System that is a statewide database that will process all of the information, from weather related data, to construction updates to emergency notices such as Amber Alerts.”

TDOT currently operates a toll-free construction and road conditions hotline (1-800-858-6349) that allows callers to use touch-tone commands to hear recorded information. This hotline receives an average of 6,300 calls per month. The 511 service, which will replace the hotline is estimated to average about 32,000 calls per month in the first three years of operation.

“We anticipate this increase because the service will have a number that is easier for callers to remember; a greater amount of traveler information; and a higher quality, more user-friendly interface than the current hotline,” Steele said.

To see related documents on the TDOT web site, click here. To sample Kentucky’s 511 service from out of state call 1.866.737.3767.