511 Alberta enhances website to help drivers

On February 4, 2013, the province launched its new road reports service: 511. The service offers Albertans the latest information on road conditions through an interactive map that also displays construction updates, detours, closures, border crossing wait times, national and provincial park information and highway photos taken by more than 100 highway cameras.

After a massive success during its first year online, 511 Alberta is now offering a new tool to help drivers safely navigate their way around the province.

511 Mobile, a new version of the website which has been optimized for mobile devices, offers travellers access to more than 100 highway cameras which have been proven to be the website’s most popular feature.

The site also includes a GPS function that when it is activated, it marks the user’s location on the 511 Alberta map.

“While 511 Mobile makes it easier to access critical road information on the go, please keep in mind that using your mobile device while driving is illegal and extremely dangerous. Motorists should invite their passengers to check 511 Mobile or pull over safely before checking it themselves,” says Wayne Drysdale, Minister of Transportation.

The introduction of the new feature comes on the heels of the first anniversary of 511 Alberta’s website.

Officials say the website received close to 200M hits from 1.2M unique visitors in need of critical information during its first year.

The highest traffic came during extreme weather events such as the snow storm in March and June’s flooding.

The 511 Alberta website provides Albertans with access to more than 100 highway cameras, as well as interactive maps linking to real-time traffic information on: