Iowa State University
10-14-96

Contacts:
Marilyn Kuntemeyer, CTRE, (515) 294-8103
Steve Spade, Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, (515) 283-8111
Michelle Johnson, News Service, (515) 294-8986

ISU TRANSPORTATION CENTER SMOOTHING THE WAY FOR DES MOINES TRAVELERS

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's Center for Transportation Research and Education is taking the lead on a project to improve travel on Des Moines roadways. The project is part of a national initiative to develop intelligent transportation systems (ITS), technologies that can help motorists navigate around detours, delays and traffic congestion.

As part of the project, beginning October 16, travelers using the Des Moines Metro bus service can access bus schedules and route maps via a new World Wide Web site, http://metro.ctre.iastate.edu/. The Web site was created in conjunction with the Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority. Members of the Des Moines MTA serve on a steering committee of local officials guiding the Des Moines ITS research project.

If computer access to this information becomes popular, the site will be expanded to include other travel information, like detours and road construction in the Des Moines metropolitan area.

ISU researchers are also developing a plan to automate other transportation services and systems in Des Moines. In the future, motorists may be able to find up-to-the-minute news about metro-area accidents and traffic congestion on the Internet or at public kiosks.

"Dollars for building new roads are getting harder to find," said Marilyn Kuntemeyer, senior project manager at CTRE. "We have to focus our resources on technologies that make traveling on our current roads more efficient and safe. The Metro web site is a small, but significant, first step in that process for Des Moines."

The Des Moines project is funded by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

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