“Hello, It's Me. Where Can You Get a Decent Pizza Around Here?”

The Virginia Department of Transportation has expanded the 511 Virginia system, which supplies state traffic information over the phone.

According to the Virgina DOT, the service also provides information on gas, food, lodging and transit connections. Users only have to dial -- you guessed it -- 511. Virginia joins 21 other states who offer one level or another of 511 traffic information.
“This service is very simple to use and is a great source of statewide traffic and travel information,” Connie Sorrell, chief of VDOT system operations, said.
Real-time traffic information from 511 Virginia is derived from two main sources – VDOT and the Virginia State Police.
“511 Virginia is unique because it uses information received directly from the source,” Sorrell said. “When the Virginia State Police respond to an accident, or when a VDOT representative updates construction information or information about how weather is affecting travel conditions – within minutes, this information is available on 511 Virginia.”
The service, which has been available for I-81 over the past three years, now covers all Virginia interstates, and in upcoming phases major primary routes will be added. It can be dialed from a wireless or landline phone from a home, office or vehicle. Because it is voice activated, the system can be used virtually hands-free. However, VDOT recommends drivers using wireless phones pull off to the side of the road before dialing.
Calling 511 costs the same as making a local call. Wireless phone users will incur no extra charges for calling 511, but it will use minutes on their calling plans (roaming charges may apply). Currently, all wireless carriers in Virginia are under contract for the 511 service. An agreement with Verizon for their landline service has not yet been reached. To access the system from a Verizon landline, callers must currently dial 1-800-578-4111. Out of state callers in Maryland, the District of Columbia or other border states can dial that toll-free number as well. The system also provides an option to transfer to the North Carolina or Kentucky 511 systems.
Currently there is a 511 Virginia Web site, www.511Virginia.org, offering information for travelers of the I-81 Corridor. Between now and 2010, the 511 service will cost approximately $2 million a year, which is paid with federal ITS funds. By 2010, 511 is expected to be available across the country.