Getting from here to there
SURE, there’s the map. Everybody knows about the map. It’s the most recognizable feature of IDrive Arkansas, an interactive website of our state’s traffic—colorcoded to show if movement along highways is being classified as normal, slow, very slow or stopped. With the arrival of winter, this information can make a big difference in getting from here to there.
Traffic flow isn’t all that can be found on this website (with free apps for Android, iPhone, and iPad). If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find a comprehensive source of travel information for motorists on highways across Arkansas.
But it’s not all that easy to figure out how to get beyond the map, a barebones design that splashes across your electronic screen after you type in idrivearkansas.com.
The site, a product of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, doesn’t employ flashing lights or jazzy video or yappy audio or scrolling phrases to guide you to where you want to go. It takes a few minutes to figure out that you have to click on one of five little icons that appear on the right side of the map. They don’t look like much; you might not even notice them. But poke around a bit, and your efforts will be rewarded. For example:
Traffic cameras: Want to know what to expect when hitting the road? This feature lets drivers view traffic conditions in real time via 28 cameras owned and operated by the Arkansas Department of Transportation.
There’s even more coverage of state highways, provided by ArDOT’s partnering with nearby states, municipalities and commercial television stations to include views from their traffic cameras. In all, there are around 100 cameras at work.
Work zones: You don’t have to be (unpleasantly) surprised by encountering these unexpected slowdowns. Discover where construction is going on across the state—and maybe come up with a plan to avoid those areas—by clicking on the cone-shaped icon below the traffic light icon.
Conditions: Concerned about weather? Who isn’t in January? Click on the fishtailing auto icon to view weather radar, weather warnings, current conditions, and highway closures. Forewarned/forearmed and all that.
Travel information: The fourth icon delivers what drivers want to know about alternate routes, welcome centers and rest areas, locations of commuter park-and-ride lots, and weight restrictions on state highways, state bridges, and local bridges.
Snow and ice: The final icon is dedicated to winter weather, with details on what might be lurking on our roads. Are they clear? Slushy? Icy? Snow-covered? Worse?
Contact links: This is the place to ask a question, report a problem, complain about littering, request a map, adopt a highway, and deliver feedback.
Happy traveling.