Ramp metering signals coming to I-540
(Triangle Business Journal – Dec. 16, 2014)
Morning commutes on Interstate 540 may soon flow better through Raleigh, with the upcoming installation of ramp metering signals.
These four initial ramps' metering signals will cost just under $1 million to install and will help adjust the flow of people turning from the side roads onto the on-ramps by the dozens.
Joe Milazzo, executive director of the Regional Transportation Alliance, says these ramp signals will "pulse or pause" the flow of cars from the ramp onto the freeway by changing from red to green every few moments during peak travel hours.
"When the light turns green for the left turn before an on-ramp, you get a big glob of cars racing down the ramp. It can mess up the way the freeway operates," says Milazzo. "That's why we call this a 'flow-protected freeway.'"
These are common in northern Virginia, Miami, Seattle, Minnesota and Denver, he says, and have been discussed for the Triangle for a few years.
"We don't have the level of congestion these other markets do," he says. "But now that we've got certain places where it's occurring, it makes sense to pursue these ramp metering techniques."