Work zone ahead . . . 10-minute delay . . . Buckle up.

Have you ever wondered who controls the messages on the changeable boards you see along Missouri’s roadsides to alert motorists to approaching traffic conditions?  Well, it depends on where it’s located.

We contract with a company to provide communications to signs along the Interstate 44 corridor using a Web site the company set up to control the signs and change messages. The boards are handled a little differently on Interstate 70. We own the changeable message boards and place the signs on trailers in locations that aren’t going to change very often. The signs are controlled through digital modems that allow us to use software to dial up the signs instead of having to go through a Web site.

“We’re basically sending text messages to the signs with the message we want to display,” said Tyson King, intermediate traffic engineering specialist in District 6. “It’s much faster than the old process of analog voice connection.”

Other signs are actually big enough that someone can walk right into them. These message boards are permanent signs and are located in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas where changeable message boards are needed constantly.

When not displaying traffic messages, we often use the boards to remind motorists to Drive Smart.