April 26, 2024
Lake County’s PASSAGE Highway Advisory Radio Station Signs Off on May 1
The Lake County Division of Transportation’s (LCDOT) real-time PASSAGE Highway Travel Advisory Radio Station, WQBR256 operating on 1620 AM, will be decommissioned on May 1, 2024, following nearly 20 years of broadcasting.
LCDOT operates and maintains five radio towers, which are nearing the end of their service life. After analysis of existing technology and careful consideration by the LCDOT traffic department, the existing towers will be decommissioned, and LCDOT will no longer be broadcasting on 1620 AM. Lake County will save about $400,000 by decommissioning the radio towers in place of constructing new or updating the existing radio towers.
"It's a bittersweet moment for us because the radio station was an essential part of Lake County PASSAGE when it opened in 2006," said Jon Nelson, Assistant County Engineer.
While the highway advisory radio station is going away, LCDOT will maintain its focus on providing up-to-date information via the Lake County PASSAGE website and apps.
Lake County PASSAGE, available through its Apple and Android apps and at lakecountypassage.com, provides real-time travel information in Lake County. The public can view snapshots from intersection cameras and snowplows, see road construction zones and closures, and even sign up for notifications to receive alerts for designated roadways.
Usage of Lake County PASSAGE continues to grow, especially during extreme weather events and construction season. In January, PASSAGE had more than 90,000 website and app sessions, and more than 263,000 email notifications were sent.
And for those that still want to listen to the updates, LCDOT added a new feature to the PASSAGE website and apps so people can listen to the latest traffic info "radio-style."
|
