Indiana adding travel-time data to four highway message signs

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) said on Wednesday that travel-time information will be posted on four dynamic message signs (DMS) along major highways.

“The travel times display both distance and times to travel to allow motorists to make informed decisions on the route that they are traveling,” Corridor Operations  Managing Engineer Ed 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.”

DMS devices usually are used to notify motorists about road conditions, including weather conditions, traffic jams or upcoming accident scenes that have closed off lanes. Signs at the following areas will be testing the travel-time messages: I-65 southbound at mile eight, which will display the time it would take to reach the Kentucky state line; I-69 northbound at mile marker 212, which will display the time to reach S.R. 109, Interstate 469 and the Michigan state line;  I-69 southbound at the 317-mile marker, which will display travel times to the U.S. 30 exit, the U.S. 24 exit and the I-465 interchange; and I-69 northbound at the 294-mile marker, which will display travel times to the U.S. 30 exit, the S.R. 1 exit and the Michigan state line.

If these prove to be effective, more signs across the state will display travel-time information.
 
“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," Cox said.