OAKLAND, Calif., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bay Area's 511 traveler information service is the one-stop source for news about transportation alternatives and detours during this weekend's Doyle Drive closure, April 27-30. Travelers can plan ahead by visiting http://511.org/doyledrive/DoyleDrClosureApr2012/default.asp.

"511 is the Bay Area's best source for comprehensive transportation information," said Adrienne Tissier, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). "Information is available via the web, phone, mobile devices, text and social media, so that people can access it whenever and wherever they need it."

Doyle Drive is being closed to complete the $1.045 billion project to improve its seismic, structural and traffic safety. After 70 years of operation, the 1.5-mile roadway, which runs through the Presidio of San Francisco, and acts as an approach to the Golden Gate Bridge, is running near the end of its useful life and needs to be brought up to current design and safety standards.

Doyle Drive is scheduled for closure starting Friday, April 27, at 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 30, to shift traffic onto a temporary bypass. The Golden Gate Bridge to Highway 1 will remain open; however, major delays are expected. There will be no access to Highway 101 from Marina Boulevard and Richardson Avenue in San Francisco.

Travelers are encouraged to take public transit, ferries or alternate routes to travel between San Francisco and the North Bay. The 511 website features a special page with updates about the road closure status; information on additional transit and ferry service available during the closure; and a detailed map of detours using I-80 over the Bay Bridge to I-580 to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to and from the North Bay, and from the Peninsula using I-280 towards San Francisco to reach the Golden Gate Bridge.

Commuters can use the new 511 Transit App available for iPhone and Android to help plan their transit trip or the popular 511 Transit Trip Planner on 511.org. On-the-go transit trip planning and current traffic conditions are also available for people using smart phones at m.511.org. Special weekend transit and ferry service will be included in these tools.

Motorists can also find current traffic conditions and driving times using 511's interactive Traffic and Driving Times Map, the new 511 Traffic (Beta), or by calling 511 and saying either "traffic conditions" or "driving times" from the main menu. As always, the 511 Traffic page provides the latest-breaking traffic news and emergency information affecting drivers. When urgent news breaks or emergencies occur, a ticker at the top of the page informs motorists about major traffic impacts and commuting alternatives. 511 Traffic updates are also available on twitter.com/511SFBay.

About 511

511 is a one-stop phone and web source for up-to-the-minute Bay Area traffic, transit, rideshare, bicycling, and parking information. It's free of charge and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere in the nine-county Bay Area. Call 511 or visit 511.org. 511 is managed by a partnership of public agencies led by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Transportation.

SOURCE Metropolitan Transportation Commission