Thanksgiving Weekend Calls Send Tennessee 511 Over Quarter Million

TDOT 1-800 Construction Hotline Discontinued

Nashville, Tenn. — Three months after the launch of Tennessee 511, travelers are turning to the motorist information line in record numbers. A quarter million calls have flooded into 511 since the launch of the system on August 14, 2006. At the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (midnight Sunday), Tennessee 511 has logged 268,416 calls putting it on track to hit a million calls within the first year of operation.

“When the Governor and I launched 511 in August, we knew it would be a popular resource for motorists in the state,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “The system is far out-pacing our expectations in the first months. I’m pleased to see travelers relying on the system for accurate, up-to-the-minute updates on road conditions in the state.”

The voice-activated system can alert callers to major closures on interstates, U.S. routes and state routes; weather information; Amber Alerts; links to neighboring state 511 systems; and TDOT’s Record-A-Comment phone line 24-hours a day.

For the Thanksgiving weekend holiday, Tennessee 511 logged the most calls on Sunday when 8,036 motorists called the system.

Judy Steele, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Community Relations Division Director added, “TDOT made this investment in order to provide a one-stop resource for statewide travel and road conditions. This is a free service for the people we serve, and I’m pleased so many people are trusting and depending on 511.”

TDOT has discontinued the Construction Hotline, 1-800-858-6349 which had been the resource for roadway information for the last decade. Motorists are now able to access immediate, up-to-date roadway information through 511. More detailed construction information may be obtained on TDOT’s web site www.tennessee.gov/tdot.

It is important to note that general congestion, such as daily rush hour traffic, is not reported through the 511 system.

Tennessee 511 is part of a nationwide effort to provide consistent and reliable traveler information. Tennessee was the 24th state to launch a 511 system since the initiative began in 2000.

To use Tennessee 511 on the web, go to www.TN511.com.