Seven years ago, it started as an email alert system detailing lane closures due to construction on I-35 in the Texas Department of Transportation's Waco District. Now, using the largest, most extensive system ever put together by TxDOT, subscribers can be notified of construction delays, incidents and alternate routes to avoid congestion. Information about average driver speeds along their route is also available. And users get to choose how they want to find out about it all: on a website or via emails, Twitter or text messages.
"When we began talking about this massive construction project that would impact the Waco District for years into the future, we knew we needed a central information station—a website where motorists could go to get the latest information about construction and lane closures," Jodi Wheatley, I-35 information officer, explains. "TxDOT's goal was to get the word out to as many drivers as possible, so we set it up so drivers could get it the most efficient and effective way possible for each person. To do that, we started with a survey to find out how drivers wanted to get information, then took their input to build the system."
The website is named My35.org. It's the go-to site for anything happening on the 588 miles of I-35 in Texas. The Central tab on the first page is all things Waco District-related.
"With the popularity of other communication tools—especially phone texts and Twitter—and with technological advances that allowed us to build this system, the MY35 Central tab evolved into the place where users could sign up for their preferences, so they would automatically receive the information as things occur," Wheatley says. "In addition to email notifications, we also included several options for Twitter followers, and most recently we added a text messaging service for incident alerts only."
At the heaviest points along the route, about 140,000 vehicles have been counted as they travel I-35 in the Waco District every day. About two-thirds of those motorists don't live in the district.
"Because so many people are simply driving through our area, My35.org is available for them, and mentioned on billboards along the route to let them know about the site (with the assistance of Lamar Advertising, which provides the ad space as a public service). Those drivers may not need to know much about the area, but they want to know about planned mainlane closures, travel times, incidents and, if needed, alternate routes," Wheatley points out. "And one of the great parts about the system: if you just need the information for an occasional trip, you can sign up to receive it only when you need it and unsubscribe when you are finished traveling."
Currently, three construction projects are under way along I-35 in the Waco District, accounting for 21 miles of the corridor. Those projects are located near Bruceville-Eddy, Troy and Temple. Around the time the last of these (Temple) is expected to be completed, a four-year project for part of the city of Waco will begin.
"In the areas of the corridor where construction has been completed, you can certainly tell how much the new construction has helped. Traffic flow is much better. Crash rates are down, and so is driver stress. And that's what My35.org and the information push is all about. We want to make sure drivers have what they need to make their trips as stress-free as possible. All they have to do is open our Travel Notifications page on the website and tell us how they want to receive the information," Wheatley says.
Jake Smith
I-35 Public Information Officer
254-867-2705
Contact My35
