If you travel Interstate 96 through Oakland County, take note:
Beginning the morning of Wednesday, June 18, the Michigan Department of Transportation is rolling out a new way for you to get on the freeway. The change is aimed at making it safer — and maybe even faster — to get to where you are headed.
The new system, which some call ramp metering, will be at eight on-ramps between Novi and Milford roads, and each ramp is set to go into operation individually in the next couple of weeks.
Metered, in this case, refers to a way of timing how cars get on the freeway — which is still free — and not a way to charge a fee or toll, as in metered parking, which has been discussed but not put in place.
In other states, where ramp metering systems are used, the Federal Highway Administration found that while there was initial opposition and skepticism to it, it worked out, and in some areas worked so well that it was expanded.
The instructions to use it don’t seem that complicated, but may take getting used to, and if you need more than words to explain it, the transportation department has created a less-than-3-minute video you can watch.
The metered ramps use a red-green-yellow signal to guide you. Red, of course, means stop. Green, go. And a flashing yellow means merge onto the freeway the way you used to before, without stopping, but with caution.
If you don’t follow the instructions, officials warn, you could get a ticket.
Here’s how it works:
Cars line up in two lanes on the ramp and stop at the white line. When you get a green light, you can drive onto the interstate. Meters to the right and left of the ramp alternate so one car at a time can merge onto the freeway.
Here are the metered ramp entrances:
In other states, studies show the system reduced crashes and improved travel times by helping to control the flow of traffic entering the freeway and breaking up congestion at certain times of the day.
The system also, the studies said, reduced the need for drivers already on the freeway to slow down, and, as a result, helped traffic overall flow better and actually move along quicker.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 orfwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ramp metering, a new way to get on I-96, ready to launch in Oakland County: What to know
Reporting by Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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