Q: There are traffic control lights at almost every entry ramp in the city. Who ordered them? When, if ever, are they activated? What was the source of the money and amount spent on them?
—Charles Roper, Roswell
A: The lights on the entrance ramps are known as ramp meters, and they are designed to break up big clusters of vehicles that try to enter the highway at once, Mark D. McKinnon, a Georgia Department of Transportation spokesman, told Q&A on the News in an email. The DOT began the pilot program in 1995, installing five ramp meters on I-75 northbound, just north of downtown. Four more meters were installed on the Downtown Connector southbound at Ellis Street, Freedom Parkway, Edgewood Avenue and Williams Street in 2005. There are about 165 ramp meters in the metro area, and the entire system was put in at a cost about $16 million. The source of the money was former Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Fast Forward program, a transportation plan that was in effect from 2005-2009. Without the meters, merging traffic often adversely impacts the flow of traffic already on the highway. “However, when the cars are regulated by the lights one-by-one, they have less of an impact on highway traffic – and keep traffic flowing more smoothly,” McKinnon wrote. The lights are integrated with the DOT’s traffic management system (cameras, electronic signs, HEROs, 511, etc.), known as Navigator. “Meters only operate during the times they are needed,” he wrote. Typically, meters in the morning peak hours operate from 6:30-9 a.m. and meters in the evening peak hours operate from 4-6:30 p.m. The exact time of operation is determined by traffic conditions, so some meters operate more than others.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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