Georgia DOT Advises The More You Know, the Quicker You Go; My NaviGAtor HAS Got You Covered!

ATLANTA--May 2, 20044, 2004--Buckle your seat belts, hang on to your hard hats and get ready for a fascinating summer ride in Atlanta. Yes, it is construction season and the Georgia DOT today announced a long list of construction projects for the summer months. But have no fear, MyNaviGAtor has got you covered.

In an ongoing effort to inform motorists of their options and help to guide them around summer construction projects, Georgia DOT and the Federal Highway Administration launched the first phase of the new MyNaviGAtor service today.

"MyNaviGAtor will help Georgia motorists make informed travel decisions through personalized traffic information affecting their commute," said Governor Sonny Perdue. "It will help equip commuters with the information they need to spend less time on the road and more time with their families."

To avoid getting "burned" by summer construction traffic, motorists can log on to MyNaviGAtor and get the most updated information on traffic and construction conditions. MyNaviGAtor, an enhancement to the current Georgia DOT NaviGAtor web site, allows users to pick and choose the traffic data they deem most relevant and save their choices to a personal NaviGAtor web page. Users choose specific maps, traffic cameras, trip times, message signs, and incident and construction listings and MyNaviGAtor saves their preferences. When a user returns to MyNaviGAtor, his or her personal traffic page is updated with the latest traffic information; giving them full knowledge of what to expect on their drive. Motorists may sign up for the MyNaviGAtor service at www.georgia-navigator.com, Georgia's nationally-recognized Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).

"Imagine two typical NaviGAtor users," says Georgia DOT Deputy Commissioner, Larry Dent. "One user is focused on traffic data for I-20 in Atlanta, and prefers to view traffic camera images and overhead message signs. Another is concerned with traffic conditions on I-475 in Macon, and prefers to focus on trip time calculations and traffic speed maps. With MyNavigator, both of these users are able to customize our data to their liking, using the formats they prefer most, while bypassing data that is not applicable to their individual routes."

A motorist's personal web page can contain up to four "profiles" which allow the user to specify different traffic data sets for different circumstances. For example, an Alpharetta commuter may create two profiles for the afternoon trip home: one profile focusing on northbound GA 400, and another focusing on an alternate route up I-85. Each profile is just a click away, so the user can quickly and easily choose the quickest route home - before getting in the car.

"We're making it easier for motorists to identify traffic conditions and avoid problem areas," Dent added. "This works towards our overall goal of reducing congestion. MyNaviGAtor is the first of several initiatives in the works, so log on to your computers and stay tuned."

In the Metro Atlanta area, Cingular, Verizon and Sprint PCS customers can dial *DOT (*368) and AT&T customers can dial #DOT (#368) for current traffic information. Motorists can also check www.georgia-navigator.com for construction alerts, accidents and other traffic interruptions.