MOUNT VERNON, Ill. -- An upcoming southern Illinois road construction project will be the first time the Illinois Department of Transportation tests a new technology.

The site will be the northbound lanes of Interstate 57 going north from the Franklin and Jefferson county line. Illinois transportation officials say they'll use new equipment to install speed sensors just outside and inside the construction zone.

The Southern Illinoisan newspaper in Carbondale reports that computers will use speed calculations to find out how long it will take to travel through the construction zone.

State officials say there is heavy traffic in the location, warranting the new technology.

Illinois State Police troopers also will be stationed at the construction site around-the-clock to monitor speeding and cell-phone use.

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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, http://www.southernillinoisan.com