Date:  Friday, February 27, 2009

Contact: Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4698 (Seattle)

EVERETT – WSDOT will light up nine new ramp meters on I-5 in Everett on Monday, March 2.

“People have been calling us asking when we will flip the switch,” said Vinh Danh, WSDOT freeway operations engineer. “We’re just as excited as they are to turn on the meters on Monday.”

Ramp meters are stop-and-go traffic signals that control the frequency with which vehicles enter the flow of traffic on the freeway. WSDOT uses ramp meters to reduce accidents and decrease travel times for commuters.

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 reduce disruptions to freeway traffic and reduces accidents that occur when vehicles merge onto the highway. For more information on congestion relief and safety benefits of ramp meters, go to: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/congestion/rampmeters

New ramp meter locations

The new ramp meters will be at the following locations:

• Everett Mall Way and SR 526 to northbound I-5
• SR 527 (Bothell-Everett Hwy) to northbound I-5
• Broadway to southbound I-5
• 41st Street to northbound and southbound I-5
• Pacific Avenue to southbound I-5
• Everett Avenue to northbound I-5
• US 2 to northbound I-5
• Marine View Drive to southbound I-5

See where the new meters are on a map of Snohomish County: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Northwest/Snohomish/WeeklyProject.htm

“Once we completed the Everett HOV project, traffic flow improved. Freeway speeds picked up, collisions and complaints both dropped. Turning on the ramp meters is the last phase of that congestion relief and safety improvements project,” said Lorena Eng, WSDOT regional administrator. “Drivers will see traffic flowing even better now.”

The ramp meters will be monitored by WSDOT traffic engineers who use both traffic data and cameras to measure traffic speeds and congestion. While many of the meters will be automated by time of day, the meters can be changed at a moments notice to change traffic patterns in this busy area.

Drivers can always get traffic information before they leave the house by going to the WSDOT traffic map at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/

What’s next for traffic in the area?

In the coming months, drivers will see other traffic changes. Between April and August, crews will install a new travel times sign on southbound I-5 in Mill Creek. The signs will give drivers information about how long it takes to drive to Seattle and Bellevue.

As part of the Washington Jobs Now financial package, we will also install sensors in the pavement of northbound I-5 in Marysville so drivers can see traffic speeds and congestion. These projects will create five jobs.

For more on Snohomish County work, go to: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Northwest/Projects/default.htm

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