How to get the most from our new az511 website

By Kathy Cline / ADOT Communications

Welcome to your new AZ511 website! As with anything new, it may be overwhelming at first, but this change is to help give you even more relevant information. Here are some tips to help navigate the new site:

1. Register for an account. This allows you to personalize the site for your needs. Your information is never shared..

2. When you sign in, you'll see a menu on the right side of the screen. You can now choose which options you'd like to see when you sign in. Some standard options include crashes/incidents, project restrictions and cameras. But you can also get more details such as border wait times, traffic speeds, weather radar or our overhead message boards. If you want, you can even make this menu box disappear by clicking on the "Map Legend" box at the top left.

So play around a bit until you find the combination of information that's right for you. Just keep in mind that in general you should try not to have more than four options up at any one time. Any more may cause some slowing.

3. On the left side of the screen, you'll see "My Routes" and "Tweets." The Tweets tab displays ADOT's Twitter feed for up-to-the-minute information about crashes and closures. "My Routes" allows you to put in addresses you're starting from and where you are going. The site will then show you possible routes, turn-by-turn directions and what closures or restrictions you can expect on the way. If this a route you use often, you can even save it!

If you don't want to see this, simply click the arrow next to the "Tweets" tab to make it vanish.

4. At upper right you'll see a button for "My AZ 511." The links here will help personalize the site even more. You can create text or email alerts for your routes, create a list of frequently used freeway cameras or manage your account settings.

5. Under the "Traffic" button, a link to "Travel Times List" will show you how long it'll take to get from Point A to Point B on the same freeway and what the average speed is.

While the new site is live, we're still refining it and making sure all of the kinks are worked out. If you see a problem or have a suggestion for improving the site, go to the "About" tab and scroll down to "Contact Us" to submit your suggestion.

Remember, users can also call our recently upgraded 511 phone line to hear personalized updates.

Safe travels!