When will those highway electronic message boards begin working?

Monday, June 21st 2004, 2:35 pm

By: News On 6

Traffic accidents on Oklahoma roadways can often times back-up traffic for miles down the road. The electronic message boards you've seen over many of Tulsa's highways will give folks useful information to avoid those traffic jams.

So, why aren't the boards running? News on 6 reporter Patrina Adger says the Oklahoma Department of Transportation installed seven high tech message boards last summer, but ODOT engineer Gary Evans says they are still waiting for the software to get them going.

The $3-million project includes two contracts to put up the signs and install the software to get them running. Evans says it will be another two months before the signs are fully functioning. Once they do so, he says the signs will give motorists information on everything from weather conditions to Amber Alerts of missing children to alternative routes to take if there's an accident or construction ahead.

"We have some software some laptops that are coming to our office that we haven't received yet. We also have our cameras-We don't have the support we need to operate the signs."

Evans says ODOT engineers can locally plug in a laptop at any of the boards to put in information in the event of an emergency. The software allows them to do that from the ODOT office.

The message board will also be equipped with stationary and moveable cameras which will be linked to ODOT's website, so you are only a click away from getting information about the road conditions.