New York 511 Traffic API

Name: New York 511 Traffic API API
Brand: New York 511 Traffic API
Availability: InStock

★ Only Publicly Available OpenAPI DocumentMaps GeolocationPlaces SearchapiKey5 EndpointsREST

For Agents

Read real-time New York State traffic events, cameras, message signs, alerts, and winter road conditions using a query-string API key.

Quickstart

Get started with New York 511 Traffic API in minutes using your preferred integration method.

# Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf)
{
  "jentic": {
    "url": "https://api.jentic.com/mcp",
    "auth": "oauth"
  }
}

# Then ask your agent:
"get new york traffic events"

# → Jentic returns the GET /events tool with parameter schema, agent executes.

Capabilities

What an agent can do with New York 511 Traffic API API.

Read live traffic events and incidents on New York State roadways via GET /GetEvents

Retrieve the full list of NYS traffic camera locations and feed URLs via GET /GetCameras

List variable message sign locations and current messages via GET /GetMessageSigns

Surface NYSDOT alerts and advisories via GET /GetAlerts

GET STARTED

Start building with New York 511 Traffic API API

Explore with Jentic

View OpenAPI Document

Use for: Get current traffic events on New York State roads, Find New York traffic cameras for a route, Read variable message signs on NY interstates, Pull active New York DOT alerts

Not supported: Does not provide turn-by-turn directions, geocoding, or coverage outside New York State — use for reading NYSDOT real-time traffic events, cameras, message signs, alerts, and winter road conditions only.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI document for New York 511 Traffic API, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

Jentic publishes the only available OpenAPI specification for the New York 511 Traffic API, keeping it validated and agent-ready. The New York 511 API exposes real-time traffic and roadway data for New York State — events and incidents, traffic cameras, variable message signs, alerts, and winter road conditions. Authentication is via an API key passed as the query parameter 'key'. The five endpoints support trip-planning, fleet, and situational-awareness applications across NYS roads.

Use Cases

Patterns agents use New York 511 Traffic API API for, with concrete tasks.

★ New York Traffic Dashboard

Power a public or internal traffic dashboard for New York State by polling /GetEvents and /GetCameras every few minutes, plus /GetMessageSigns for variable-sign content. The result is a live overlay covering incidents, lane closures, and travel-time advisories across NYS roads.

Every 5 minutes fetch /GetEvents, /GetCameras, and /GetMessageSigns, and update map markers and overlays for the I-87, I-90, and I-95 corridors.

Winter Travel Advisory

Issue winter travel advisories during storms by polling /GetWinterRoadConditions and /GetAlerts. Combine with weather forecasts to push notifications to commuters or fleet drivers when conditions deteriorate on specific corridors.

When /GetWinterRoadConditions reports 'snow covered' on any I-87 segment, send a push notification to subscribed commuters along that corridor.

Fleet Routing Awareness

Feed New York 511 events into a fleet routing engine so dispatchers can avoid incident-impacted segments. /GetEvents returns location, type, and severity; the engine can re-route in-flight when severity rises above a threshold.

On every /GetEvents poll, mark routes that pass through a high-severity event and signal the routing engine to compute alternates.

Agent-Driven NY Roads Briefing

Let an AI assistant produce a New York roads briefing each morning — top events, active alerts, and notable variable message sign content — through Jentic. The agent searches by intent, loads the read schemas, and Jentic injects the API key from the vault.

Through Jentic, search 'get new york traffic events', load /GetEvents and /GetAlerts, and assemble a 5-bullet morning briefing for the NYC metro and upstate corridors.

Key Endpoints

5 endpoints — jentic publishes the only available openapi specification for the new york 511 traffic api, keeping it validated and agent-ready.

METHOD

PATH

DESCRIPTION

GET

/GetEvents

List active traffic events

GET

/GetCameras

List traffic cameras

GET

/GetMessageSigns

List variable message signs

GET

/GetAlerts

List NYSDOT alerts

GET

/GetWinterRoadConditions

Winter road conditions

GET

/GetEvents

List active traffic events

GET

/GetCameras

List traffic cameras

GET

/GetMessageSigns

List variable message signs

GET

/GetAlerts

List NYSDOT alerts

GET

/GetWinterRoadConditions

Winter road conditions

Why though Jentic?

Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.

Credential isolation

The New York 511 API key (query parameter 'key') is stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents call /GetEvents, /GetCameras, and the other read operations through Jentic, which appends the key to the query string at execution — the raw key never enters the agent's context.

Intent-based discovery

Agents search Jentic by intent (e.g., 'get new york traffic events') and Jentic returns the matching NY 511 operation along with its input schema, so the agent calls the right endpoint without reading 511ny.org/developers.

Time to first call

Direct NY 511 integration: half a day to wire the five endpoints, key handling, and response parsing. Through Jentic: under 30 minutes — search, load, execute.

Related APIs

Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.

Alternative

Idaho 511 Transportation API

Idaho 511 exposes the same traffic-events, cameras, and conditions pattern for Idaho roadways.

Use Idaho 511 for Idaho routes; use NY 511 for New York State. Aggregate both for multi-state fleet routing.

Complementary

OpenWeather API

OpenWeather forecasts complement NY 511's reported winter road conditions.

Pair OpenWeather with /GetWinterRoadConditions to combine forecast and observed conditions for the same NYS corridor.

Complementary

WeatherAPI

WeatherAPI provides point forecasts that pair well with NY 511 incident and condition data.

Use WeatherAPI for waypoint-level forecasts and NY 511 for actual NY road events; combine both in trip-planning UX.

FAQs

Specific to using New York 511 Traffic API API through Jentic.

Why is there no official OpenAPI spec for the New York 511 Traffic API?

NYSDOT publishes a developer help page at 511ny.org/developers/help but no OpenAPI specification. Jentic generates and maintains this spec so that AI agents and developers can call the New York 511 API via structured tooling. It is validated against the live API and kept up to date. Get started at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up.

What authentication does the New York 511 API use?

It uses an API key passed as the query parameter 'key' on every request to https://511ny.org/api. Through Jentic, the key is stored encrypted in the vault and appended to the query string at execution, so agents never see the raw key.

How do I get current New York traffic events?

Call GET /GetEvents to list active traffic events on NYS roadways. Each record includes location, severity, and a description. Pair with /GetAlerts for higher-priority NYSDOT advisories.

Are NY traffic cameras included?

Yes. GET /GetCameras returns NYSDOT-maintained traffic camera locations and stream URLs. Use the response to embed camera feeds in dashboards or to surface a relevant camera near an incident.

How do I get a New York traffic briefing through Jentic?

Run pip install jentic, then search 'get new york traffic events', load /GetEvents, and execute. Combine with /GetAlerts for advisories. Sign up at https://app.jentic.com/sign-up to receive an agent API key for execution.

Does this API cover roads outside New York State?

No. The 511 NY feed is limited to New York State-maintained roadways. For other states, use the equivalent state 511 feed — for example, Idaho 511 for Idaho routes.