A group tasked with easing I-70 congestion will look to social media tools to help keep driver up-to-date on traffic conditions along the corridor.
New director of I-70 coalition starts Jan. 1. Meanwhile, planners hope that smart phones and social media networks will help drivers avoid congestion along the corridor
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY — Plans for widening and otherwise improving I-70 are moving about as fast as the traffic headed back to Denver on a Sunday afternoon, but the stakeholder group charged with addressing corridor transportation issues is grappling with highway congestion in a new way.
The latest efforts to speed the flow of traffic on busy days focus on the high-tech use of emerging mobile information technologies and social media, including blogs and Twitter, according to Dr. Flo Raitano, the outgoing director of the I-70 Coalition.
Travelers along the corridor will become part of the solution, as their GPS-enabled phones transmit real-time data to a new web site, www.goi70.com, where all the data will be crunched to give travelers realistic and timely information on traffic and weather conditions.
The web site is up and running in a beta version, with a full launch expected sometime this spring, perhaps in time for the busy spring break travel season.
“Information is power,” said Raitano, explaining that the so-called jackrabbits (I-70 travelers participating in the program) will be providing data for the web site just by having their phones turned on. Texting while driving won’t be necessary, she said.
Other tools provided by the Colorado Department of Transportation go hand-in-hand with the I-70 coalition’s mobile information network, including more highway cameras that will enable Colorado Department of Transportation officials to set appropriate speeds on the variable speed limit signs along the corridor, based on traffic density and conditions.
The social network at the heart of spreading critical I-70 travel news will be built on Twitter, the short-message networking service that has spread like wildfire in the past year, said Tad Kline, the transportation demand manager for the I-70 coalition.
Kline said the coalition is looking for more volunteer jackrabbits to participate in the information sharing network.
“We can use jackrabbits with any service, but the nature of what they can do varies with the service,” Kline said. The best information will come from GPS-enabled phones that automatically transmit data.
The idea is to create mobile application for phones that will connect travelers along the corridor with the most up-to-date information. The jackrabbits, preferably with smart phones like iPhones, recent Blackberries or Android-based phones, will need to load the mobile application on to their phones to participate.
“Because this is software in early development we are looking for volunteers with a healthy curiosity about new technology, a bit of free time and lots of patience,” Kline said in a blog post on the Go I-70 web site.
Anyone interested in participating should send an email to info@i70solutions.org including name, smart phone type and model, phone number, and an email address.
Along with smart technology and software, CDOT has also beefed up other areas in its efforts to keep traffic moving.
Raitano said there will be easier for truckers to get a tow when they need one, and commercial chain-up providers stationed at strategic spots will also help ensure that truckers have the gear they need to get over through the mountains safely.
I-70 transition
Raitano is leaving her I-70 coalition job at the end of December. She’ll be replaced by Rachel Oys, a Genesee resident who also understands the potential pitfalls of traveling the I-70 corridor.
“I’m going try and learn as much as I can over the next few weeks,” said Oys. “I’m looking forward to a new challenge.”
For the last 10 years, Oys has worked in the public health field, helping to raise more than $33 million in the fight against obesity in Colorado, according to a report in the Denver Business Journal.
Most recently, Oys oversaw the creation of LiveWell as a nonprofit entity, including the development of strategic plans, grant writing and fundraising.
The University of Denver graduate started DU’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Week, and interned with AIDS Infoshare, to put together events like World AIDS Day in Moscow.Group
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