Skivee -

I'm not surprised you found the site a bit lacking.

The Federal site attempts to track most "significant" detours on Interstate and other major routes, but leaves it up to the state and local agencies to tell you what's going on off the main roads. Once you go to the "local" reports, the quality of reporting varies a lot - mostly downward.

SOMETIMES in the local report sections you can find additional links (to county and local cop-shop resources, or sometimes even to road maintenance) that can improve your information, if you really need to dig for accurate info; but it's still a risky business getting out on the public roads.

For "local" travel (less than a couple of hundred miles in my area, but perhaps 100 in yours) there may be more detailed (and more accurate) reports from county police (Sheriff offices), Highway Patrol (where there is one) or even local sources that aren't in the system I linked. Sometimes you can dig info out of local TV channel websites on "traffic delays."

There is a more accurate system available, at least for main routes, but the program costs about $2,000 and requires annual "renewal subscriptions" of around $1,500 per year. Even the major truck lines don't use it much, since costs of any delays come out of the drivers' pockets rather than the companies' profits.

John