Kansas City region planning 511 traveler information service

From the Transportation Matters E-Newsletter:

MARC is planning to enter into agreement with the Kansas and Missouri departments of transportation (KDOT and MoDOT) to administer and deploy 511 traveler information services in the Kansas City metro.

In 2000 the Federal Communications Commission assigned 511 as the nationwide phone number for state and local governments to provide information about traffic conditions, bad weather, construction activities and public transportation schedules. KDOT deployed statewide 511 sevices in January 2004, with road conditions, work zones, incidents and weather information for the state highway system. A future phase was envisioned to include coverage in the Kansas City area. MoDOT deployed 511 in St. Louis in 2009 as part of a major reconstruction project on Interstate 64.

In 2008, the Kansas City Scout Board commissioned KDOT to study how bistate 511 traveler information service could be deployed in the Kansas City region. KDOT coordinated with a wide range of stakeholders, developed a concept of operations and researched deployment alternatives. Communication with stakeholders resulted in support for consistent information and seamless access on both sides of the state line, input on preliminary content, and a need to determine who would own the system.

Based on capacity assumptions and a set of system requirements, KDOT assessed possible costs for implementation and operation. KDOT reviewed deployment strategies and narrowed them to several viable options:

  • Integrate Kansas City service with existing Kansas 511 service
  • Create a separate shared system hosted by KDOT’s provider
  • Create a separate outsourced system using Voice over Internet Protocol or a pay-per-minute structure

In January the KC Scout board accepted KDOT’s study recommendations to implement a bistate, multimodal 511 traveler information system. They requested that MARC administer the design, implementation and operation of the system, with funding and technical support provided by KDOT and MoDOT. KDOT’s 511 program manager will serve as technical project manager. Once the agreement between KDOT, MARC and MoDOT is negotiated, they will draft a request for proposals.

For more information, contact Ron Achelpohl or KDOT’s Barb Blue at 785/291-3818.