When driving locally in southern California, my main concern is about traffic conditions, so I use a variety of GPS applications including Waze, Apple Maps, and others. However, when planning trips of longer distances or through mountainous areas, it can be helpful to have real-time information about road closures and other hazards to avoid unfortunate situations like this.
For decades, I’ve relied on Caltrans for highway information, and it can be accessed via phone by dialing 511. I just learned that there are now dedicated websites for different regions of California, including Bay Area, Inland Empire, Kern, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Cruz, and Southern California (http://SoCal511.com/ which redirects to https://go511.com/).
According to the website, “Southern California 511 is a free traveler information service that provides live traffic reports, transit planning, commuter service information, motorist aid, or FasTrak information in the Southern California area through a toll-free phone number, website, and mobile application. Call 511, visit Go511.com, or download the Go511 mobile app to retrieve all the information for your traveling needs. 511 will help improve your commute and keep you informed before leaving the house and while on the go.” Here is an example of the current alerts if we were to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas:
In addition to maps for personal vehicles, Southern California 511 also provides trip planning information for public transit and bicycling. Finally, check out the Southern California 511 feed on X. Their handle is @Go511. Safe travels!
