Via PennLive.com

This spring the Pennsylvania Turnpike is rebuilding three miles of the Northeast Extension in Luzerne County. It is not, in and of itself, a significantly noteworthy event. After all, road construction projects are now underway all over Pennsylvania.

But it's what is happening around the project that makes it noteworthy – namely the first forays into our collective connected automotive future. 

As they drive down the Northeast Extension, drivers are being notified of the construction through the usual methods – signs along the highway. Users of the turnpike's Trip Talk app are also part of pilot program – one that is transmitting live updates about the construction to their cars and into their phones.

About a mile in advance they're actually going to tell you what's on the [signs] in real time," Amber Reimnitz, a project manager at the turnpike, said. "You'll be hearing it on your phone, so you can hopefully make a more educated decision. You'll actually get a notice in advance ... so you can be prepared."

The app shares estimated travel times and warnings of backups, all derived through automated data collection conducted within the work zone. It is a similar system to the automatically updating message boards that have popped up along a number of Pennsylvania highways (and are being used at the work zone). To read more, please click on the link above.