When does a ramp meter get activated?

New ramp meters

Question: What standards will WSDOT use to determine whether traffic flow is bad enough to warrant activating the ramp meter lights controlling the flow onto I-5 southbound from Marine View Drive and Pacific Avenue in Everett?

Scott Bader, Everett

Answer: Engineers in our traffic management center in Shoreline actively manage all ramp meters in the greater Puget Sound area. Vehicle detection sensors embedded in the pavement provide engineers with information about traffic flow, such as the volume and speed of vehicles on freeways and ramps.

Engineers use this data, along with information about blocking incidents to decide if a ramp meter should be turned on or off.

WSDOT uses ramp meters to reduce accidents and decrease travel times for commuters. We installed ramp meters on several Everett area onramps, including the Marine View Drive and Pacific Avenue onramps, because traffic volumes have significantly increased in Snohomish County. Ramp meters are one of the tools we use to keep traffic moving more efficiently.

Most ramp meters allow only one vehicle through each green light, creating a 4- to 15-second delay between cars entering the highway. This delay helps break up large groups of vehicles merging onto the freeway and helps reduce congestion-related collisions.

Martin Dedinsky, WSDOT traffic engineer

Gas price update

The average cost of a gallon of gas rose 7 cents in five days last week in the Everett-­Bellevue-­Seattle area, according to AAA auto club. The rise came on the heels of the Memorial Day holiday.

On Friday, the average was $4.11 in the Puget Sound area.

Prices dropped after the holiday last year and in 2004 and 2005. In 2003, prices hovered in the $1.60s from May to August.

Snoozing at the light

Question: Since the construction of the Tulalip Wal-Mart and Seattle Outlet Mall, traffic in Marysville has been killer. The traffic decreased slightly with the installation of more turn lanes, but the worst has yet to be fixed. At the intersection of 88th Street NE and State Avenue, westbound 88th has such a short light. Hardly anyone can get through, and when traffic gets heavy you’re left sitting at the light for 10 or 15 minutes. Can anything be done?

Karilyn Gibbs, Granite Falls

Answer: You are correct. The intersection suffers from the growth that has taken place from Tulalip to Granite Falls. It is not the city’s intent to time the light short westbound. Unfortunately, all of the other directions at the intersections have two lanes and there is only one westbound lane.

To move the same amount of traffic westbound as moves the other directions would require giving the westbound direction twice as much time as everyone else. That amount of time is just not available some times.

The improvement of the 88th Street NE corridor from Highway 9 (at 84th Street NE) to I-5 is a recognized regional need. Improvement to the 88th Street-I-5 interchange and the widening of 88th Street NE from State Avenue to 67th Avenue NE was to be funded by the Regional Transportation Improvement District tax which failed to pass last November. The city is still looking for ways to fund the needed improvements.

John Tatum, city of Marysville traffic engineer

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