Arizona, Mexico authorities working together to keep drivers informed about traffic
Mar 15, 2017, 3:45 PM
(Pexels Photo)
(Pexels Photo)
PHOENIX — Traffic information in Sonora, Mexico, should be available by the end of the year thanks to the Arizona Department of Transportation.
ADOT is training representatives from the Sonora Department of Civil Protection – the agency that oversees Sonora’s highways – to work with Arizona’s 511 highway conditions and reporting system.
“Sonora is a big trading partner with Arizona,” Steven Ramsey with the state transportation department said. “So, for people driving from Sonora to Arizona … it behooves them to know what the road conditions are.”
The 511 system allows people to check on Arizona highway conditions and some local street restrictions. It can be accessed online or by calling 511 within the state.
When the 511 system expands with information from Sonora, travelers on both sides of the border will be able to check online for any highway events entered by officials in Mexico. ADOT expects to have it live by fall.
“Mexico is Arizona’s No. 1 source of international visitors, and most of them travel to and from the state by car,” Debbie Johnson, director of the Arizona Office of Tourism, said.
“Extending the 511 system into Sonora has the potential to make those cross-border trips faster and more convenient, and that’s good news for tourism, particularly in Tucson and southern Arizona.”
