Travel-Time Information Clearer, More Useful with I-35 Sign Change

Easier to understand travel-time information is already being displayed on dynamic message signs (DMSs) in the Waco District, and is scheduled for implementation across the state, according to Texas A&M Transportation Institute Research Scientist Bob Brydia, principal investigator on the I-35 Traveler-Information Project.

DMSs like this one in the Waco District now show not only the next location and travel time to get there, but also the distance in miles to that location.

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Instead of DMS messages that show only the next location and the travel time it will take to get there, the new messages will also include the distance in miles to that location.

"The travel-time information displayed on the dynamic-message signs was good, but maybe not helpful to the long-distance travelers who don't know all the destination points along a corridor," Brydia says of the change. "By including the distance to the next location on a DMS, motorists not familiar with the area will instantly know if there is a time delay between where they are and the stated destination, and could decide to look for an alternate route. It's a simple fix, but one I think will make travel information that much more worthwhile."

Brydia is a member of TxDOT's statewide standard operating procedures committee, which spearheaded the change. The new distance information has been displayed on DMSs in the Waco District since late March.

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