From the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet:

Transportation Cabinet launches enhanced traffic information site
New 511.ky.gov site features several improvements

FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 27, 2010) — Just in time for the vacation travel season the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has launched an enhanced traffic information website with a number of new features.

The new site, at the same Web address of 511.ky.gov , operates on a Google Maps-based system, which will be familiar to many users.

“Our enhanced 511 reflects an effort to provide more tools to the traveling public but also to make our information more meaningful,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock.

For example, road closures will be displayed in their entire length, rather than as a single point on the map, and users will be able to toggle between Map View and Route View. In addition, Route Report lets users choose a specific route by clicking on a link instead of searching for the route on the map.

Another new feature is a scrolling status bar that displays urgent traffic information, such as current major incidents, at the top of the page. Information about an incident can be displayed with a click. AMBER Alerts will be displayed in the same space.

A navigation bar on the left side of the screen allows users to customize their view by turning on and off “layers” of information. Users also can select city or regional maps from a scroll-down menu and immediately zoom to that area.

When there are updates on the site, the Refresh button, at the top right of the map, will appear. Clicking will refresh the page.

Upcoming events that could affect travel on Kentucky roadways will be displayed in a Future Info section, so travelers can plan accordingly. The new menu also gives links to data feeds such as RSS and Twitter.

A brief demonstration video on some key features of the new 511 site is available on the KYTC website at http://transportation.ky.gov/511/how-to-use-511.html .

The 511 service was launched in Kentucky in 2002 to provide useful and timely traffic and travel information about Kentucky roadways. A telephone version of the service is available by dialing 511.