- A zoom-enabled map with traffic event icons that can be selected.
- Real-time updates on winter road conditions, traffic incidents, road work, construction, and road closures.
- Current traffic speeds and closed-circuit television (CCTV) traffic camera images in select cities (Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Iowa City, Quad Cities, Sioux City, and Waterloo) and across the state.
- Electronic roadway sign messages.
- Highway rest area locations.
The primary responsibility of every driver is the safe operation of his/her vehicle. Iowa law prohibits all persons from using a handheld electronic communication device to write, send, or read a text message while driving a motor vehicle. Teen drivers with restricted licenses are prohibited from using any electronic communication or entertainment device while driving.
http://www.511ia.org
While traveling, mobile communication devices should be used only when the motor vehicle is at a complete stop off the traveled portion of the roadway. Do not text and drive (it’s the law) or use this app while driving. Download the Iowa 511 smartphone app for iPhone and Android.
The phone system identifies your telephone prefix when calling from a landline phone. It identifies the communications tower that your wireless phone is connected to at the time you place the call. In some cases, along state borders, Iowa’s 511 may or may not work properly depending upon the cell tower location for that specific call. The 511 out-of-state phone number is 800-288-1047.
“Road Reports”
“Road Reports” (Figure 1): In the upper left of the page, there is a button labeled “Show List Views,” or “Hide List Views,” depending on which view you are in. Clicking the “Road Reports” tab provides links to specific highways.
You will first see the most popular selections, a search feature where you can enter the route you are looking for or the option to view the complete list of routes (see Figure 2).
Selecting a route produces a list of sections on the chosen highway (see Figure 3). These sections are used to help locate areas of interest more quickly and are also used on the associated 511 telephone system.
Road report sections (Figure 4): Clicking on the section name in the list displays a map, temporarily highlighting that section. Remember, this highlighting is used to show the selected route section and does not reflect roadway conditions.
After several seconds, the highlighting disappears and any active events for the section are shown as listed event descriptions in the left panel and as icons on the map in the right panel. Icons for events on other nearby highways are also visible in this map view. You can turn icons off and on from the legend on the right, which will affect the type of events shown in the event list for the selected route.
The event list and icons on the map are interactive. Clicking on a specific event either in the event list or on a map event icon will cause the map event icon to be circled in blue and the appropriate event report in the list to be highlighted (see Figure 5).
Printing road reports
By clicking on the “Print Reports” link (see Figure 6), a printable version of the events on the selected route will be created.
511 is an easy-to-remember traveler information telephone number. 511 will eventually replace and consolidate a proliferation of travel information telephone numbers around the country. 511 provides real-time updates about weather-related road conditions, road work, commercial vehicle restrictions, road closures and other events that impact traffic via the phone or Internet. [banner_abajo]
—