By Jared Hunt

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The state Department of Transportation plans to have a new interactive information system in place by November that will be able to alert travelers about potential traffic issues like the one that closed Interstate 77 for several hours last week.

State officials hope to have a West Virginia 511 system online by Nov. 1. The new system is designed to give travelers access to the large volume of real-time data currently collected by the state.

"Essentially, 511 is a statewide program that provides anyone with a transportation interest anything with regard to accidents, events, construction, weather on our roadways and other information as well," said Bruce Kenney, coordinator of Intelligent Transportation Systems for the state Department of Transportation. The Federal Communications Commission set aside the three-digit code in 2000 to allow states to develop telephone systems that provide free travel information.

The systems use the state's Intelligent Transportation Systems information to feed the 511 system.

Kenney said West Virginia's ITS system has been up and running for about four years now. He said it's actually one of the most robust systems in the nation, receiving real-time information from county computer-aided dispatch systems.

Now, Kenney says West Virginia is set to become the first state in the country to tie it's ITS system into a full, statewide 511 system.

"We'll actually be the first ones in the United States to have this application statewide," Kenney said. Pennsylvania is plans to convert its Turnpike 511 system to a statewide system, but that system isn't scheduled to be online before West Virginia's rolls out.

While the 511 concept was originally intended to be a call-in system, West Virginia is planning to roll out its system on multiple platforms.

The Department of Transportation is planning to launch www.wv511.org. The website will include weather maps, live radar and the messages placed on the dynamic message boards along highways so drivers can spot potential issues before they hit the road.

"Our message in our advertising will be, 'Know before you go,'" Kenney said. "You'll review this information on your computer before you travel."

In addition to the website, that information will also be available to travelers through a smartphone app.

One key feature of the smartphone app will be a notification feature that can alert drivers to issues in real-time as they're traveling down the road.