511 Expected to Serve One Millionth Caller During Holiday Travel Period

Nashville, Tenn. - Nearly one million people have called Tennessee 511 since the program launch in August 2006.  Today, the Tennessee Department of Transportation announced that it expects the motorist information line to serve its one millionth customer during the busy holiday travel period.

“Tennessee 511 is a great service for travelers, particularly during the busy holiday travel season,” said Governor Phil Bredesen.  ”With so many planning to hit the roads for the holidays, I’m pleased to see that motorists are taking advantage of this time-saving system.”

Drivers in Tennessee have been using the Tennessee 511 system in steadily increasing numbers since Governor Bredesen launched the system in 2006.  In addition to real-time traffic information on Tennessee’s interstate and state highways, travelers can access weather conditions, Amber Alerts, TDOT’s Record-A-Comment phone line and the 511 systems in neighboring states, such as Georgia, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina.

“The 511 system provides up-to-the minute information on road conditions in the state 24 hours a day, so it is a very useful tool to travelers this time of year,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “With more motorists on the roadways we also want to remind everyone to travel safely when using the service.”

Motorists may dial 511 from any cellular phone and use either the phone’s keypad or the voice recognition feature to access information.  Remember to keep safety first.  If possible, drivers should have a passenger in the vehicle make the call to 511 or pull to the side of the road to safely use the system. 

Judy Steele, TDOT Community Relations Director, added, “Receiving a million calls is an important milestone for the Tennessee 511 system.  We are very pleased that more and more people are learning about the free service and depending on 511 for accurate travel information.”

People may also dial 511 from any land line phone or visit the Tennessee 511 website at http://www.tn511.com/ to access this information before leaving home.

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Contact:
Julie Oaks
TDOT Public Information Officer
Julie.A.Oaks@state.tn.us
615-741-9930 (office)
615-533-7105 (mobile)