With hectic holiday travel fast approaching, checking road and weather conditions in Oregon just got a little easier.

By dialing 511, motorists can access up-to-date travel information for highways, mountain passes and major cities throughout Oregon.

The 511 number, launched on Dec. 10 by the Oregon Department of Transportation, is an abbreviated version of the 800-977-ODOT number, which can still be used where 511 service is unavailable.

”(511) is just so darn easy to remember,” said Glen Hammer, TripCheck Project Manager for ODOT.

He said the new number is connected to a better phone system. Not only is the three-digit number easier to remember and dial, but the system responds to voice and touch-tone commands, handles more phone calls and updates information faster, he said.

”We pushed to get this out before the Christmas driving season,” Hammer said.

The number of people who have used the old ODOT phone number varied with the seasons, Hammer said. But the holidays are when people most use the service. The most calls made in the past was about 25,000 during one December, he said.

”People have to travel,” he said. ”Hopefully, this will help people make smart decisions about how they travel.”

The 511 call doesn’t carry additional charges. A call made from a pay phone or land line is considered a local call. Wireless phone users are responsible for normal air time and roaming charges under their service agreements.

The 511 number is not yet available to all Oregon residents.

According to ODOT, 58 out of 63 telephone companies operating in Oregon – including land line and cell phone companies – have implemented the 511 service.

Hammer said, however, that ODOT is still talking about installing 511 service with Verizon and Verizon Wireless, which are the biggest companies that haven’t installed the service.

The 511 service is not yet working for Cellular One customers in Central Oregon, said Nancy Snyder, director of marketing and customer operations for Cellular One. She said the company thought the service would be implemented at the end of the year, not a week ago.

Snyder said Cellular One will start the 511 service as soon as possible. She said Cellular One customers also have the option of dialing #ROAD to access ODOT travel information.

When 511 doesn’t work, drivers can still access travel information by dialing 800-977-ODOT; for those calling from outside the state the long-distance number – 503-588-2941 – remains the same. Information is also available at www.tripcheck.com, an ODOT Web site that offers camera images, maps and other travel information.

By calling the number, drivers can get information about road construction, delays, incidents and weather-related road conditions.

Hammer said the more information drivers have before heading out on the road, the better decisions they can make, such as choosing an alternate driving route.

The department encourages drivers to pull off the road and park before calling 511 on a cell phone.

Oregon is among 23 states that offer, or will soon offer, the 511 service, according to ODOT. More than 20 other states are in the beginning stages of implementing the 511 service.

Hammer said it cost $125,000 to implement the service in Oregon. Of that cost, $100,000 was federal money from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $25,000 was from the state.

The service also costs ODOT a small amount per call, Hammer said. Costs per year can vary depending on the weather and how many people use the service.

Washington is one of the states that offers the service. But calls made near the Washington-Oregon border can sometimes connect with the wrong system. Hammer said the transportation departments from both states are working together to allow for call transferability between the two phone systems.

According to ODOT, the Federal Communications Commission designated the 511 number for travel information in 2000. By 2005, the 511 Deployment Coalition, which consists of more than 30 public agencies, industry groups, industry associations and private companies from around the country, wants 80 percent of Americans to have access to the three-digit number.

Ailey Kato can be reached at 541-383-0387 or at akato@bendbulletin.com.