Answers to some of the most frequently asked questions
What exactly are Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and MoDOT’s Gateway Guide?
Intelligent Transportation Systems is an industry term that describes the application of various communication technologies to better manage transportation systems.
Gateway Guide is the Missouri Department of Transportation’s St. Louis Metro area intelligent transportation program. The program provides real-time traffic information to motorists and emergency services. The information helps motorists to make an informed decision on the best route to travel. It also provides details of incidents to emergency services (including MoDOT’s Motorist Assist and the towing industry) to remove roadway incidents in a quicker fashion. The name Gateway Guide gives our customers a recognizable name when obtaining transportation information. The name, logo and motto are regionally unique and specific in that it describes what the system will provide for St. Louis regional travelers.
To learn more, visit the USDOT ITS information web site at www.its.dot.gov.
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Are closed-circuit cameras designed to trap speeders on the highway?
No. Closed-circuit cameras are used for traffic and incident management as well as traveler information purposes only. The cameras allow operators in MoDOT’s Transportation Management Center see what is happening on the roadway. Operators can quickly inform emergency responders of incidents and convey messages to drivers through the dynamic message signs. The camera video is not recorded. The camera views are available to the public via this web site and to local television stations.
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What are those cameras at traffic signal intersections and are they designed to write tickets for red-light running?
The overhead cameras you see at a traffic signal are solely for detecting the presence of vehicles in order to provide the best distribution of green signal time based on traffic at the intersection. They are cost-effective replacements for in-ground induction loops that are cut into the pavement. The cameras are not focused on you the driver, but instead on your vehicle as it moves towards the intersection. As your vehicle enters defined areas or "zones" within the camera's field of view, the camera's processor detects a change and tells the signal’s controller that a vehicle is requesting green time for its direction.
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How accurate are the travel times on your message boards?
Travel Times are currently being posted on I-270, I-44 and I-70 east of I-270. Contractors are still working to complete projects on I-55 from the city to Barnhart in Jefferson County and I-70 from I-270 to Foristell.
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What is Gateway Guide's role during Child Abduction Alerts?
Gateway Guide's role in Child Abduction Alerts is to get a simple message out on the message boards to prompt motorists to listen to the radio for greater detail about the child in Missouri. The St. Louis area has 100 percent of all radio stations involved in the local AMBER or SARAA program because it is now part of the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS). MoDOT places a simple message to have people tune to any radio station for information. We also have the ability to place child abduction alerts on our new traffic info hotline anytime they are activated. All the public will have to do is call the toll free number at 1-888 511 4785 and the primary message will come on about the child.
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Where is Gateway Guide's Transportation Management Center located?
The hub of Gateway Guide is located at 14301 South Outer 40 Road in the city of Town and County, Missouri. This is at the southwest corner of Interstate 64 and Route 141 in west St. Louis County. CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE GATEWAY GUIDE BUILDING.
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