MassDOT testing real-time traffic message board system on select highways

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is set to pilot a new traffic information program this week using real-time message boards on several highways across the state. Initially, the screens will appear along the Interstate 93 corridor from Canton to the New Hampshire border and on Route 6 on Cape Cod, where new traffic cameras are also being installed.

Twenty-two message boards on I-93 northbound and southbound will relay travel times between interchanges, with updates happening every minute. The information comes from sensors in the roadway, which can detect when traffic slows down. The boards will also be present on highways approaching I-93.

Six message boards will be installed along Cape Cod’s Route 6. At the same time, MassDOT will activate seven new traffic cameras, which motorists will be able to access via the MassDOT website.

The department plans to make the feeds from the screens and cameras available through its 511 program in the future. If the pilot is successful, message boards will next be installed along I-91.