MassDOT’s Highway Division has announced that there will be improved navigational service in the tunnels for users of the Waze app as installation of beacons has been completed inside the tunnels of the Boston Metropolitan Highway System.  With the assistance of Waze, MassDOT has installed more than 850 navigational beacons within tunnels to improve GPS reception where reception is poor.

“The newly installed beacons inside our tunnel areas will improve safety and the customer experience because the users of Waze will have a continuous and uninterrupted signal,” said Acting Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. “Anyone in a motor vehicle using Waze to navigate before they enter the tunnels in Boston will continue to get navigational help as the signal to their mobile device will continue to be constant and strong.”

“Tunnel blindness continues to be a real pain point for drivers and an obstacle that can increase traffic and even worse, crashes,” said Gil Disatnik, Head of Waze Beacons. “We are fortunate that in helping to solve this problem for our community of drivers we have reliable municipal partners like MassDOT to encourage the adoption of Waze Beacons to create safer roads in their communities.”

Waze is the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app.  By joining the app, users are able to access and share real-time traffic and road information which allows the app to redirect users to the quickest route. The Waze Beacons Program in Boston’s tunnels will lead to seamless navigation underground by providing data to the drivers with the Waze app who are passing through.

Waze Beacons transmit data to drivers’ navigation apps, but they do not collect any information and therefore do not infringe on drivers’ privacy. These beacons also mean all GPS providers can incorporate the Waze beacons solution and have unrestricted and no cost service. Learn more about the beacons program.

For some drivers, having constant reception is essential for daily travel.  MassDOT has permission to retell a story involving a mother, Qing, and her daughter, Michelle, and how the Waze Beacons have impacted their lives: Qing and her family moved to Quincy, MA from China eight years ago. Qing is only able to drive alone around Massachusetts by using a GPS system set in Chinese because she doesn’t speak English and can only read a few road signs. Qing has relied on Michelle to drive her to destinations, including Malden, a trip during which GPS navigation reception including Waze can be poor due to underground travel.

“My mom is afraid of the tunnels because she can’t read the signs,” said Michelle. “She gets panicked when she loses the signal because if she misses her exit or if there’s a detour, she doesn’t know where to go. If we want to go somewhere that requires us to drive through a tunnel, she’s too scared to drive and I have to drive her.”

When Michelle found out about the MassDOT Highway Division’s partnership with Waze, she was excited to tell her mom that she would no longer lose reception in the tunnels. When Qing heard about the Waze Beacons, she called her friends in Malden and told them that she would finally be able to drive on her own to see them.

“From my mom’s experience, I imagine that others have the same difficulty using the tunnels—maybe not to get from Quincy to Malden, but maybe just to get to the airport or wherever they’re going,” said Michelle. “Waze isn’t just helping out my mom, but so many other people—especially those who may be unfamiliar with the area or the many international visitors and residents in the Boston area.”

The Waze Beacons were provided to the MassDOT Highway Division at no cost. The beacons have been installed in the Ted Williams, Sumner, Callahan, and O’Neill Tunnels. The installations have occurred during pre-scheduled tunnel lane closures.

Tags: highway