The new ramp meter will turn on automatically in response to real-time conditions like congestion and slower speeds
VANCOUVER – Starting today, travelers in Vancouver are in for a change to the way they enter on to northbound Interstate 205.
On Monday (Jan. 24), the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will turn on a newly installed ramp meter at the Mill Plain Boulevard on-ramp to northbound I-205 to help reduce crashes and improve travel times in the area.
The new ramp meter will turn on automatically in response to real-time conditions like congestion and slower speeds, which typically occur in this area during the afternoon commute. To help prevent traffic backing up onto city streets, when the ramp meter is on, newly installed signs will direct travelers to form two lanes on the northbound I-205 on-ramp from Mill Plain Boulevard.
Ramp meters are traffic lights that control the frequency in which vehicles enter the flow of traffic on to the interstate during peak travel times. They are a proven cost-effective tool to reduce congestion while improving traffic flow and safety by providing spaced intervals between vehicles, rather than having multiple vehicles enter the freeway at once, clogging up the system.
WSDOT will fine-tune ramp meter operations and closely monitor traffic following activation.
