511 Wisconsin

511 Wisconsin is a free 24/7 traveler information system that provides the motoring public with up-to-the-minute traffic information and access to over 400 traffic cameras statewide. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's (WisDOT) 24/7/365 Traffic Management Center (TMC) is constantly monitoring highways and providing information on:

• Incidents
• Construction
• Travel times
  
• Road conditions
• Travel speeds
• Lane closures

Visit 511wi.gov, dial 511 or download the free 511 Wisconsin mobile app and receive customized notification alerts for highly traveled counties.

Follow us on Twitter @511WI

 Improved Winter Road Conditions on 511

The expanded and ​improved winter condition reporting on 511wi.gov​ now provides more frequent updates over more miles of roadway.

​The update unveiled on January 31 ties in the technology the department and county highway departments use to inform decisions on plowing and salting, called the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS). The system generates automated models based on conditions measured at multiple areas throughout the state.  The data sources are available around the clock, and include atmospheric and road weather sensors along the roadway and at airports, information from snowplows enabled with GIS, and information from the National Weather Service.   

​Travel times

WisDOT travel time information is calculated based on speed data collected by a variety of traffic data detection devices located along a road corridor that is then integrated into the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) software used by the TMC. Received data is calculated to travel times and then communicated to the public using various integrated communication methods, such as 511 Wisconsin and dynamic message signs (DMS).

The minimum accuracy and maximum latency of travel times calculated and disseminated by WisDOT is governed by United States Department of Transportation Federal Rules and Regulations. WisDOT is required to provide traveler information that is accurate per Title 23 CFR Part 511 which mandates travel time accuracy to within 85 percent of the actual travel time delivered to the traveling public within ten minutes of the initial speed measurement with an overall travel time availability of 90%. Ensuring that the displayed travel times are accurate provides motorists with confidence that the information provided is indeed accurate and reliable. Travel time information can also be used to assess the overall performance of the transportation network. The department is constantly performing travel time verification, both in the field and by comparison with other available data sources, to perform quality control and quality assurance checks on this critical traveler information data.