ST. LOUIS – Drivers on interstates around the St. Louis area may notice new additions to several of the overhead message boards providing travel times – color shields.
Five of the oldest digital message boards have been updated this year to the latest technology. The first signs were installed in 2001 and manufacturers are no longer making parts for or supporting those signs.
The sign posts and housings will be used on the new signs, but the internal components and sign faces are being updated. The newer signs are color and are much easier to read. Starting today, MoDOT will start using color shields for interstates and state numbered or lettered routes on the newer boards. Using graphics can reduce the time to comprehend a message by more than 33 percent (20 seconds for text only, 14 seconds for message with graphic) – according to a 2006 study by the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center.
The overhead signs provide information on travel times, lane closures on the road ahead and well as warnings about lower speeds due to congestions. This helps drivers make decisions on using alternate routes, and warns them about possible slower traffic ahead in time for them to be prepared to slow or stop.
The new boards have been installed at:
- Westbound I-64 west of Spoede
- Northbound I-55 south of Butler Hill
- Eastbound I-70 east of Mid River Mall Drive
- Westbound Route 364 at Central School
- Eastbound I-70 east of the Missouri River
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