With increased traffic expected for the upcoming Thanksgiving travel period, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) have listed the steps they will take and tools available to drivers to make holiday travel as safe and smooth as possible.

Thanksgiving travelers are encouraged to visit the “Historic Holiday Traffic” page at www.511PA.com which allows users to see how traffic speeds on the Wednesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2014 and 2015 compare to traffic conditions during a typical, non-holiday week. Users can choose their region and view an hour-by-hour, color-coded visual of traffic speeds to help them decide the best times to travel during the holiday. 511PA also offers real-time, traffic speed information for roughly 2,900 highway miles of roadways throughout Pennsylvania.

“I encourage all motorists to use 511PA, not only for their holiday travels, but also throughout the winter season,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. “From traffic speeds and cameras to plow tracking, the site and mobile applications are great resources to help make travel decisions.”

PennDOT traffic management staff have analyzed this holiday data and identified locations and time frames where congestion typically increases dramatically during the holiday and will take steps to try to alleviate congestion and improve safety. The department will also partner with police for increased, strategic enforcement of speed and impaired driving laws. Travel data was also shared with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for distribution to 9-1-1 centers so staff are aware of and can plan for peak travel times, when call volume could increase.

“We’re always looking for new ways to use our resources to improve our operations and the public’s mobility,” Richards said. “These efforts are more examples of how we’re striving to embody the governor’s Government That Works agenda every day.”

PennDOT will also remove lane restrictions and suspend construction projects wherever possible through the holiday period. Motorists can see remaining construction projects at www.511PA.com before they travel.

The public can use 511PA to check conditions on nearly 40,000 roadway miles in Pennsylvania. The service is free and available 24 hours a day, and provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 770 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices. Information can also be accessed by calling 5-1-1 or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.