511 – Road Closures and Restrictions
Get Quick Info on Road Closures at 5-1-1
Those of us who live in the greater Phoenix area appreciate that our roads are in generally very good condition and are constantly being upgraded to try to accommodate our ever-increasing population. What that also means, however, is that there is constant construction: delays, restrictions, and detours. Sometimes getting from here to there can be a challenge in Arizona.
Now we have a solution at our fingertips: 511. By dialing 5-1-1 on your phone you can get great information that will help you save time, gas, and minimize frustration while traveling around the Valley of the Sun and the rest of the state of Arizona.
When you call 511 in Arizona you have the option of using the phone keypad to deliver your instructions (press 1 for this and 2 for that…) or you can use the voice recognition function and simply speak clearly into the phone. Once you have determined which way you want to make your selections, there are five areas of information available to you:
Roads
If you choose this option you have to know the roadway number. For instance, 51 for SR-51 (the Piestewa Peak Parkway), or 17 for I-17 (the Black Canyon Freeway). Once you have selected the roadway in which you are interested, you will receive all the known restrictions and construction information for that road. When selecting the 101, you will be given several choices for the specific section of the 101 that you’d like to inquire about, since the 101 loops all around the Valley.
Transit
You can get schedule changes here for both the Valley Metro transit system as well as the Tucson SunTrans system.
Airports
You won’t get airline information here, but you can find out if there are any roadway restrictions affecting driving in and out of both Sky Harbor International Airport or Tucson International Airport.
Tourism
Any special conditions affecting the Grand Canyon will be listed here. You can also request “Parks” and you can access curent information for more than 50 state and national parks in Arizona. If you know the park’s code, you can go straight to that recording. Otherwise, simply follow the instructions to find the park that interests you alphabetically. Do you often go to the same park? Look up the code here for quicker access.
Quick Reports
When you select Quick Reports, you will be asked to pick a part of the Valley. Then you will receive information regarding known closures and restrictions in that area. Your choices are: Northwest, North Phoenix, Northeast, East Valley, Phoenix, and West. You can also get a Quick Report for Tucson.
A call to 5-1-1 is a local call anywhere in Arizona. Going to the game? Driving to Tucson? Heading up north? Use 5-1-1 to plan your route.
