An important new safety enhancement is scheduled to begin operating on the top half of I-285 this weekend.
Variable Speed Limits, or VSL, are to be activated Sunday on 36 miles of I-285 north of its two interchanges with I-20. The first thing motorists will see is that the base speed limit is increased to 65 mph, as it was last year on I-285 below I-20. The higher limit has worked well on the south side, and we believe it will do likewise on the upper end.
The roadway has as many as seven — and no fewer than four — lanes in each direction and can easily accommodate 65 mph travel during non-congested times. While it may seem hard to believe if you’ve been snarled in one of the Top End’s epic traffic jams, for most of the day, traffic there is free flowing; consequently, we expect the speed limit to remain predominantly static at 65 mph.
The top half of I-285 does have important differences from south side I-285. The top side carries an average of 50,000 more vehicles a day – 100,000 more in certain locations — and there are nearly twice as many interchanges. More traffic and more interchanges equate to more merging and weaving movements, more congestion and, regrettably, more crashes — all of which cause backups.
VSL offers us a tool to enhance motorists’ safety by warning them well in advance of trouble ahead while simultaneously reducing the speed limit. Our Transportation Management Center operators, who monitor the top end using real-time closed-circuit cameras, now have a new tool — reducing the speed limit in advance of jammed traffic — when responding to incidents with H.E.R.O. units and emergency responders.
Overhead message boards in advance of an incident location will advise approaching drivers. Traffic Management operators will be able to reduce the approaching speed limit in 10 mph increments, to 55, 45 and a minimum of 35 mph if necessary. Being aware of slowed traffic ahead and being able to slow down accordingly is infinitely safer than unexpectedly having to slam on the brakes. In fact, secondary crashes due to backups are a common occurrence and further exacerbate congestion.
There is another benefit to be derived from VSL: “Slowing down to get there faster,” as the late WSB traffic reporter Herb Emory, our much-missed friend, would have said. Studies have shown that at slower speeds, traffic flows in a more consistent, steady manner, and motorists can arrive at their destinations quicker than via the “speed-up, stop” accordion-like movements so often seen on our freeways. That slower pace also yields better gas mileage and reduces carbon emissions and is better on driver temperament.
Some wonder if VSL isn’t just a cleverly phrased way of saying speed trap. No, it is not. It is neither GDOT’s motivation nor the intention of law enforcement agencies on the top of I-285 to use VSL as a means to issue more speeding tickets. The speed limits are lowered due to traffic conditions, crashes or weather events that necessitate a reduction.
GDOT encourages drivers to heed the overhead sign information and the new digital speed limit signs on the shoulder. The real success of VSL is the compliance, so that everyone can enjoy its benefits. While we harbor no illusions that VSL will free Top End I-285 from congestion or eliminate crashes there, it most assuredly will help.
Thank you for slowing down when the speed limit is reduced, to ultimately get there safer and faster.
