Cameras on tollways give commuters glimpse of traffic conditions
Sun Staff January 8, 2013 9:04AM
Illinois Tollway camera shows traffic on I-88 in Aurora on Tuesday morning on January 8. 2013. | Photo from Tollway website
Updated: February 12, 2013 6:11AM
Naperville commuters now have a chance to see how bad traffic is on the tollways before they even leave home.
The Illinois Tollway has announced expanded public access to traffic images by adding the feeds from 15 traffic camera locations to its website, www.illinoistollway.com. Customers can now access camera feeds that offer “bird’s eye” views from three cameras along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), eight cameras along the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294), two cameras along the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355) and two cameras along the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88).
“Customers are now able to go online anytime and see for themselves what the travel conditions are like on their way to their destinations,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “Our goal in posting these images online is to give our customers another valuable source of information to help them manage their travel decisions.”
The camera feeds are accessible by selecting the “View Traffic Cameras” link on the Tollway’s homepage. This link directs customers to the Illinois Tollway Virtual Map, a clickable map that allows customers to zoom in on a section of the Illinois Tollway system and select a camera icon to get a view from that location.
Most cameras offer customers multiple roadway views. Customers can click on the “Traffic Cameras” tab located in the left navigation bar to identify camera locations. Camera images are uploaded approximately every five minutes, and viewers must refresh the page to view updates. Image quality is dependent on weather conditions, tollway officials said.
