This weekend in Los Angeles, the major freeway ( Interstate 405) will be closed between the 101 and 10 freeways, causing a traffic nightmare called Carmageddon. AT&T will help remind drivers via text messages and will suggest that subscribers use the AT&T navigation app.
On Friday morning, AT&T will send text messages to thousands of AT&T
customers within a 25-mile radius of the "Carmageddon" impact area to
help with possible alternatives and solutions.
The advice from most experts has been not to even try to go to the west side of Los Angeles or the beach. However, if you must travel to or from the Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, or Bel Air areas, there are some apps and mobile websites that could help.
Be sure when you enter your directions to request that the route not be through the Sepulveda pass (Interstate 405).
The best resource we've seen specifically for Los Angeles is the mobile Sig Alert website (http://www.sigalert.com/W/) that's especially formatted for mobile phones with drop-down menus of important areas. It also shows photos of the major street via a drop-down menu. Traffic data is updated every few minutes.
A free app that will be of help will be the free Google Maps and Google
Navigation that shows real-time traffic. Be careful because it will indicate that there will be no cars on the 405 Freeway, so It will not show any traffic.
Google traffic is attained from Google Navigation and users.
You can check NAVTEQ Traffic.com at www.traffic.com before you
leave the house to see current travel conditions and learn about any
obstacles that may affect these conditions in the future.
You can visit the NAVTEQ Traffic.com mobile website on your cell phone or
PDA at http://mobi.traffic.com. The site is free, and the content can be
invaluable.
Save 1-866-MY-TRAFC (1-866-698-7232) to your
phone favorites list before leaving home. This free hotline provides
speed-dial access to NAVTEQ Traffic.com--ideal for avoiding heavy
traffic, construction, and accidents on your weekend trip.
Send an SMS text message to get real-time traffic information for city
hotspots. Simply text your CITY CODE, (NY, CHIC, PHL, LA, etc.) to TRAFC
(87232). City codes can be found at
http://bhelp.traffic.com/city-codes-used-for-sms.