What road work alerts show
State and city transportation departments publish live work zone data in a standard format called the Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx). Fort Route reads 17 of those feeds and checks them against the route you plan. What it finds shows up in four places:
- A road work card on your route, with a list of each zone (tap one and the map zooms to it)
- An orange dashed line over the affected stretch of your route
- While you navigate, a "Road work" chip and a spoken alert 2 miles before each zone
- A WORK ZONE limit on the speed sign when the feed gives a reduced limit lower than the posted one
Only the zones that affect your trip
A work zone counts only when both of its ends sit on the road you'll drive and it runs in your direction of travel. A lane closure on the southbound side doesn't show up on a northbound trip. Ramp closures count only where your route uses that ramp.
Fort Route also limits the list to the hours you'll be driving through. A work zone scheduled only for overnight hours stays off the list when you'll pass through at noon.
Where the data comes from
The 17 feeds come from these agencies:
- State DOTs: Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Dakota and Washington
- One feed covering New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine
- Local agencies: Austin, Texas; St. Charles County, Missouri; and Maricopa County, Arizona
The road work list names every state on your route that has no feed, so you know which stretches Fort Route can't see. Drive through Ohio, for example, and the list names Ohio as not covered.
Limits to know
Fort Route shows what each agency publishes. A crew can set up a zone that never makes it into a feed, and a listed zone can wrap up early, so the absence of an alert doesn't mean the road is clear. In states without a feed, you get no road work alerts at all.
Posted signs, flaggers and work zone speed limits always come first. For what to watch for once you're in one, see our guide to work zone safety.
Frequently asked questions
Is every state covered?
No, Fort Route has road work data only where a state or local DOT feed is connected, 17 feeds in all. States on your route without a feed are named in the road work list, so you know which stretches have no data.
Why doesn't a work zone on the other side of the highway show up?
Fort Route only shows work zones in your direction of travel. Both ends of the zone have to be on your road, going your way, and a ramp closure only appears if your route uses that ramp.
When will I hear the alert?
You hear a spoken alert 2 miles before each work zone on your route while you're navigating. A "Road work" chip appears on the screen as well.
What does WORK ZONE on the speed sign mean?
It means the agency's feed lists a reduced speed limit for that work zone, lower than the posted limit for the road. Fort Route shows it only when it's lower than the posted limit. If the signs in the work zone say something different, follow the signs.