Monday, May 03, 1999
ARTIMIS services manage 88 miles of freeway traffic
BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
So just what is ARTIMIS?
The letters stand for Advanced Regional Traffic Interactive Management and Information System.
Its purpose is to manage traffic congestion on 88 miles of Greater Cincinnati freeways.
Financed primarily from the federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality fund, ARTIMIS is identified with black message boards on interstates.
But it has several other functions:
• SmarTraveler
The telephone service provides up-to-the-minute road conditions from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and during special events. It provides construction information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It's free by dialing 211 from any phone. This service was ARTIMIS' first and it started in June 1995. Information is also available at a Web site: www.smartraveler.com
• Highway advisory radio
Traffic advisories broadcast on 530 AM from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and during some special events. Construction in formation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Reference and ramp markers
Blue and white signs on the medians tell drivers what direction they're headed, what roadway they're on, and mark every 1/10 of a mile.
• Freeway service patrol vans
Free repairs and other help is provided to drivers by five service patrol vans that scout the interstates in morning and evening rush hours for stopped vehicles. They are driven by certified mechanics and trained emergency medical technicians.
As for the black message boards, there are 40 along the freeways. They display messages when there is significant information, such as an accident or heavy congestion.
ARTIMIS employees put up messages when they notice problems from their control center, which gets live feeds from 78 cameras along the interstates and about 1,100 other detectors. The center is staffed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and during special events.
The ARTIMIS Web site is www.artimis.org
Messages often leave drivers in the dark
You can dial up the path of least resistance
ARTIMIS services manage 88 miles of freeway traffic
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