Traffic Q&A: Ramp meters coming to Route 512-Steele Street interchange

Q: What is being constructed in the median area near the state Route 512 on-ramp off Steele Street South? It seems to involve electrical boxes and a stoplight-type stanchion. Looks much more involved than just a traffic-camera location. — Jonathan S., Spanaway

A: Sharp-eyed and intuitive, this Jonathan from Spanaway.

Here’s Claudia Bingham Baker, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation:

“The activity in question is a WSDOT construction project to install a variable-message sign on westbound SR 512 east of state Route 7 and ramp meters on the on-ramps from Steele Street and SR 7 to westbound SR 512.”

Ramp meters. You know, those “stoplight-type stanchions” that regulate the flow of traffic from on-ramps onto the area’s freeways.

Construction is supposed to wrap up in March on the meters Jonathan spotted, and they should be activated in late June.

Bingham Baker said DOT will do a public outreach campaign closer to the activation date. Just remember you heard it here first.

“Like all our ramp meters, they will be ‘smart’ technology, meaning they will have built-in feedback systems that monitor mainline traffic and ramp traffic, and automatically adjust meter timing to maintain the best traffic balance between the two,” Bingham Baker said. “We will also have the ability to manually override meter operations if we see the need.”

DOT number crunchers will be gathering traffic data between now and June, “so we will have the data to make good before/after traffic comparisons,” Bingham Baker added.

“We already know the ramp meters will not eliminate congestion on westbound SR 512,” she said. “We do expect, however, to see a decrease in the length of time congestion occurs on the highway.”

And Route 512 drivers can expect to see more of them in the future.

“Our long-range plan is to meter all ramps in both directions of SR 512 between (Interstate 5 and state Route 167),” Bingham Baker said.

When funds become available, of course.

Drivers can learn more about ramp meters at wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/Congestion/rampmeters.

The most important piece of ramp-meter knowledge, in our view: “One car per green.”

This story was originally published February 28, 2016 at 9:38 AM with the headline "Traffic Q&A: Ramp meters coming to Route 512-Steele Street interchange."