The City of Sarnia has officially transitioned to a new communication system to advise residents and visitors of road closures.
The city launched 511 mapping at the end of May, and as of July 2, will no longer be posting notifications through the Sarnia Lambton Alerts system.
"One of the big benefits of the 511 mapping system is it feeds into navigation maps such as Google Maps and Waze so drivers who might not be from around town who are using those systems won't be routed through construction areas," said Communications Manager Steve Henschel.
The new program also provides more context for current and planned construction projects within the year.
"In comparison to how we previously sent out email alerts, which had a character count limit, there are a lot more granular details," Henschel said. "If you look at those planned projects, it'll give you a rough timeframe, but it'll also provide a breakdown of all the work going on; things like combined sewer separation, watermain replacement, road refinishing, curb, gutter, stuff like that."
Henschel said the service comes at no cost to taxpayers.
"We have a licence through Lambton County so it's free for the city," he said. "We were actually using it last year as well for our temporary road closures, just piloting and getting it off the ground, but not really publicizing it."
Details about current and planned projects and road closures can be found on the city's website.
