Monday, May 03, 1999

You can dial up the path of least resistance

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BY TANYA ALBERT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Welcome to orange barrel season.

        Interstate 71 in Warren County. I-275 near the airport in Northern Kentucky. Ronald Reagan Highway. I-275 near Beechmont Avenue.

        There seems to be no escaping — just ask the 25,000 commuters who take westbound Fort Washington Way who were forced to detour today. Their route is closed for the next four months.

        I wish I could say that there's an easy way around the construction tie-ups. But I'd be lying.

        There is a way, though, to get a heads-up on traffic conditions and to at least mentally prepare for the backups lurking out there:

        Dial 211.

        It's free from any phone. (Or if you're out of the area, call (513) 333-3333.)

        Once inside the system, get up-to-the-minute road condition information from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and during some special events. Construction information is on there 24 hours a day.

        So, once the call goes through, hit the number coordinating with a roadway and the * (star) key:

        1* Downtown Cincinnati- Fort Washington Way.

        2* Downtown Covington-Newport.

        126* Ronald Reagan Highway between I-275 and Montgomery Road.

        275* I-275 beltway.

        71* I-71 between Kings Mills Road in Ohio and the I-71/75 split in Kentucky.

        74* I-74 between Indiana and I-75.

        75* I-75 between Tylersville Road in Ohio and the I-71/75 split in Kentucky.

        471* I-471 between I-275 and downtown Cincinnati.

        50* U.S. 50 between I-275 in Clermont County and I-275 in Lawrenceburg.

        51* Beat the Jam Hotline, construction zone information.

        562* Norwood Lateral between I-71 and I-75.

        Similar information is available at our Web site enquirer.com/traffic

        The Tristate isn't the only place commuters have to deal with torn-up pavement, afterall.

        For anyone without Internet access, or if drivers want to access information on the road, get out the scissors and get ready to clip.

        Nearby states with snazzy hotlines set up to help travelers with recorded road information include:

        Illinois: (800) 452-4368.

        Indiana: (800) 261-7623.

        Kentucky: (800) 459-7623.

        New York: (800) 847-8929.

        Ohio: (440) 234-2030 for Ohio Turnpike conditions.

        Pennsylvania: (800) 331-3414 for the Pennsylvania Turnpike; (888) 783-6783 for other parts of the state. These numbers work only when you are in Pennsylvania.

        Tennessee: (800) 858-6349.

        Virginia: (800) 367-7623.

        West Virginia: (304) 558-2889.

        Wisconsin: (800) 762-3947.

        Good luck dodging barrels.

        Tanya Albert's Commuting column appears each Monday in the Metro section. Contact her at 768-8389; fax: 768-8340; mail at 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202; or by e-mail at tmalbert@enquirer.com

       

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