Digital message signs are being installed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) over lanes of traffic on I-24 between Nashville and Murfreesboro.
TDOT hopes the signs will provide more reliable commute times by giving advance warning of trouble spots ahead.
"You could budget 30-45 minutes to go pick up your kid, but all it takes is one fender bender and then it turns it into an hour, and you're late getting to whatever you're trying to get to," said Rebekah Hammonds with TDOT.
The new signs will work to give up-to-the-minute information on driving conditions. When traffic is moving smoothly, there will be speed limit reminders over each lane. If there is an accident, the signs will display a red X over a lane warning drivers to move into an alternate lane. A yellow X will be displayed over lanes where drivers need to be cautious, and green arrows will display over lanes with no issues.
Officials will also be able to update the speed limits to reflect traffic flow because of an upcoming accident or construction.
"We're not necessarily just choosing a number and you've got to go this speed," Hammonds said. "It's to say, 'Hey, there's some kind of congestion going on, this is the current speed limit up ahead, please slow down.'"
TDOT expects the new digital signs over I-24 to become operational this fall.
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Source: News Channel 5 Nashville
