Noticed the new cameras along the Loop? Here's why GDOT put them up

The Georgia Department of Transportation is currently installing 24 video cameras along the Athens Perimeter route through Clarke and Oconee counties.

The cameras, which operate 24 hours a day, are monitored by the DOT’s Traffic Management Center in Atlanta, according to DOT spokeswoman Melodii Peoples.

The center will check the cameras for traffic count and disruptions such as those caused by wrecks and inclement weather, Peoples said.

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The cameras are also used to assist with Google Maps and to provide news outlets with information about traffic disruptions. Additionally, they provide information to Waze, a GPS navigation app available for smart phones.

The cameras are also expected to help law enforcement investigating accidents on the Perimeter, according to Peoples.

The tall poles are equipped with ropes, which allow for access to the cameras without the use of a bucket truck, she said.

The Transportation Management Center has been operating more than 20 years, according to its website, and during this time has provided traffic information for such events as the Olympics, Super Bowl and problems related to snow and ice.