LIE signs to offer info on travel times

Starting Tuesday, overhead signs on the Long Island Expressway will tell drivers roughly the amount of time it will take them to reach major points along the highway, such as the Sagtikos State Parkway, the Cross Island Parkway, or even how long it'll take to get to the Queens Midtown Tunnel.

The 19 overhead signs that are already above the LIE and offer information about construction or accidents and other alerts, will now list average travel times. The signs will begin at the Cross Island Parkway and extend to Exit 64.

They are designed to help motorists best navigate their commutes. Average times will be updated every minute.

"The Long Island Expressway is the spine of Long Island's commercial, personal, and business travel network," New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald, said in a statement. "Enhancements such as this provide key information to drivers to help them determine their best travel routes, enhancing mobility on Long Island's highways."

The initiative, which was done by in-house staff, comes after state DOT officials introduced similar signs on the Southern State Parkway last spring and on the Northern State Parkway in 2007.

Officials said travel times are calculated based on information gathered by highway sensors that are monitored by Information for Motorists (INFORM), a transportation management and information system for Long Island that is part of the Intelligent Transportation System network throughout New York State.

With Zachary R. Dowdy