Road Crews Alert Truckers to Work Zones with New Tech

One county in Oregon is helping contractors give safety info to truckers through a new pilot program designed to make road work zones safer.

The partnership brings together tech from Causeway one.network, a work zone safety management technology company, and commercial trucking tech firm Drivewyze. Umatilla County in northern Oregon is implementing Causeway’s Traffic Management planning and communication tool and Drivewyze’s dynamic alert system to enhance road safety and modernize work zone management.

The six-month trial began in March and allows the county to provide instant alerts to truckers for various incidents through Causeway’s Live Link app, which feeds information to navigation providers including Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps and TomTom. The system also allows automated notifications about ongoing construction activities and lane closures.

The Live Link app can be used by contractors to give navigation providers safety-critical information, which then gets passed on to drivers.

“For the first time in the U.S., road crews will be able to communicate directly with truckers through our Live Link app, relaying comprehensive, timely and vetted work zone information via Drivewyze’s Smart Roadways software,” said Simon Topp, chief commercial officer at Causeway one.network. “This ensures that freight operators are equipped with the most accurate information, delivered when and how they need it most.”

Other advantages of the program include integration with meteorological data sources to deliver weather notifications to drivers, as well as send emergency information about natural disasters.

The pilot program is expected to reduce accidents and fatalities, improve traffic flow and facilitate strategic planning and policy formulation through data analytics.

Causeway one.network also recently announced Hillsborough County in Florida will use the company’s Traffic Management, Plan Share and Live Link tools.