IDOT creates one-stop website for traveler         

Multiple maps combined into one easy-to-use portal at www.gettingaroundillinois.com 

[JAN. 9, 2005]  SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Timothy W. Martin unveiled a new website Dec. 29 aimed at improving delivery of customer service information. The new site, www.gettingaroundillinois.com, brings together multiple Internet-based maps from the Department of Transportation, allowing users to have access to multiple layers of information on one page.

"We are using technology to make IDOT more accountable and accessible to the public," Martin said. "You can view current road conditions, construction information and plans for future projects all on the same page. By incorporating multiple electronic maps into one, we're making it easier to get information and saving everyone valuable time."

The new website provides users with up-to-date road conditions, construction information, average daily traffic counts and will also map out future projects contained in the department's highway programs. Users will also be able to map travel destinations, like hotels, restaurants, gas stations, airports, tourist attractions, museums, hospitals, schools and government agency locations.

The Illinois Department of Transportation built the site using the latest mapping technology to bring together information from a variety of the department's bureaus for use by department staff, transportation industry professionals and the general public. The idea was to create a one-stop location that was easy to navigate in an interactive format. Multiple layers can be displayed on the map at one time, making it more efficient for travelers to plan routes.

Two of the Department of Transportation's most popular Internet tools have already been switched to the new site: winter road conditions and construction information. Construction information is updated on a daily basis between March and November and on an as-needed basis during the offseason. Winter road conditions are updated at least every two hours during a winter storm event. During one 24-hour period in December the site received more than 1 million hits.

The website was developed by Department of Transportation staff and GIS Solutions as part of a much larger technology initiative. That initiative includes creation of a free database accessible to local governments for all roads on the Illinois highway system, including state, municipal, county and township roads. This database will allow for more collaboration on transportation issues between different governments in the future.

[Illinois Department of Transportation news release]

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