That annoying moment when the GPS navigation screen goes dark in a tunnel and leaves drivers temporarily directionless should no longer happen after today, at least in New Jersey and New York.

Officials flipped the switch Tuesday at tunnels operated by the Port Authority and Metropolitan Transportation Authority to allow beacons provided by Waze, the app based traffic and navigation service. The beacons use Bluetooth technology to provide GPS signals in four metro area tunnels.

Waze beacons went live around midday Tuesday in the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels, run by the Port Authority and the Queens Midtown Tunnel and Hugh Carey Brooklyn Battery tunnel in New York, operated by the MTA around midday. They are provided free of charge.

Because the beacons, invented by Waze, use open source technology, they will function with all GPS systems, ending signal blackouts.

Waze beacons also are in use in nine cities, including Chicago, Boston and Pittsburgh.

Port Authority officials said use of the beacons is part of an effort to increase the use of new technology, spearheaded by Executive Director Rick Cotton. The Waze beacons compliment the authority’s efforts to bring information to travelers with the launching of the Crossing Time bridge and tunnel app, which provides real time traffic information.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com . Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry .

Find NJ.com on Facebook . Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters