Rural/remote ramp meters

[jakeroot]

Last August, WSDOT installed ramp meters on the westbound ramp to I-90 from WA-18/Snoqualmie Parkway:

https://wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i90/sr18icimprove/snoqualmie-parkway-ramp

If you look at an overhead view of the area, it is decidedly rural. This is further confirmed by the 70 mph limit of I-90 through here (a limit that WSDOT largely reserves for rural freeways only):

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.508527,-121.8795565,11918m/data=!3m1!1e3

There is development, but not enough that I would have thought ramp meters necessary.



Got me thinking: what are some rural or remote ramp meters that you all are familiar with? If any.

[tolbs17]

Like if there is an accident or a slowdown. North Carolina only has 4 that go on westbound I-540. But I expect to see more soon. Maybe on US-264 through Wilson?

[jakeroot]

^^^
This thread isn't for discussion of the merits of ramp meters or where they may go in the future (unless it's a rural location). Please no off-topic posting. If you don't have anything to add, just don't post.

[tolbs17]

^^^
This thread isn't for discussion of the merits of ramp meters or where they may go in the future (unless it's a rural location). Please no off-topic posting. If you don't have anything to add, just don't post.

You said in rural locations which is why I said 264 in Wilson. U confused me

Are you trying to say I should start another thread of where new ramp meters go regardless if they are urban or rural?

[sprjus4]

^ I think he's saying he's looking for rural locations that already have ramp meters... not thrown out suggestions.

[jakeroot]

Correct. I am looking for existing ramp meters.

Hence the following line in the original post:

what are some rural or remote ramp meters that you all are familiar with? If any.

I don't mind sharing rural locations planned for the future. But this is not fictional highways, so no suggestions for where they could go.

[kphoger]

U confused me

Are you trying to say I should start another thread of where new ramp meters go regardless if they are urban or rural?

This thread isn't in "Fictional".  So, if it doesn't already exist, then it doesn't belong here.

[hotdogPi]

So, if it doesn't already exist, then it doesn't belong here.

Tell that to Business I-81.

[zachary_amaryllis]

us 40, at empire, co has one. not totally rural (empire is a town, after all) but not really urban either.

[hbelkins]

Why would you need a ramp meter in a rural area where freeways are usually free-flowing?

[JoePCool14]

Why would you need a ramp meter in a rural area where freeways are usually free-flowing?

If a rural freeway carries enough traffic, and potentially it intersects a road that also has lots of traffic merging on a ramp meter could be useful. It's a pretty rare case though.

[jakeroot]

us 40, at empire, co has one. not totally rural (empire is a town, after all) but not really urban either.

That's a great example! Damn near, if not definitely better than my example. I would consider that pretty rural. Overall at least.

Why would you need a ramp meter in a rural area where freeways are usually free-flowing?

If a rural freeway carries enough traffic, and potentially it intersects a road that also has lots of traffic merging on a ramp meter could be useful. It's a pretty rare case though.

Exactly. And that perfectly describes the interchange in my original post. WA-18/Snoqualmie Pkwy are two very busy roads and I-90 is flowing quite quickly (70 posted but speeds closer to 80+); a constant flow from the on-ramp into 80+ mph traffic just isn't a great idea, so better to space it out.

[kphoger]

us 40, at empire, co has one. not totally rural (empire is a town, after all) but not really urban either.

That's a great example! Damn near, if not definitely better than my example. I would consider that pretty rural. Overall at least.

GSV, for reference

[jakeroot]

us 40, at empire, co has one. not totally rural (empire is a town, after all) but not really urban either.

That's a great example! Damn near, if not definitely better than my example. I would consider that pretty rural. Overall at least.

GSV, for reference

Thanks. I did check it out on GSV already but I'm sure others will appreciate the link.

I also found this ramp meter just a few miles up on the eastern edge of Idaho Springs (on-ramp from I-70 business loop). Still pretty rural for a ramp meter.

The way these Rocky Mountain towns (and their roads) interact with I-70 reminds me a lot of the ramp meter in my OP: busy mountain freeway (I-70 / I-90) descending into a major city (Denver / Seattle) encountering the occasional town on the way that produces just enough traffic to warrant at least occasional queue management.

[Bruce]

There's a ramp meter in my area (SB I-5 from SR 531) that I have never seen used. It's on the exurban boundary of the metro area, but we do get backups over the weekends that could warrant its use.

I think WSDOT should look into having temporary ramp meters up along I-5 in Mount Vernon and Conway during the tulip festival, given how loony the traffic gets in normal years.

[kphoger]

There's a ramp meter in my area (SB I-5 from SR 531) that I have never seen used. It's on the exurban boundary of the metro area, but we do get backups over the weekends that could warrant its use.

Doesn't look very rural or remote to me.

[froggie]

Regarding the OP, I would consider Jake's original example exurban instead of rural, given the suburban-style development through Snoqualmie and North Bend.  I would argue you don't really get to rural until you're past the Edgewick exit (Exit 34).

Regarding HB's question, both Jake's Snoqualmie example and the Colorado example are cases of freeways with decent year-round traffic and considerable winter weekend peaks.  Ramp meters will break up the entering platoons so as to not overwhelm the merge point all at once.

[Bruce]

There's a ramp meter in my area (SB I-5 from SR 531) that I have never seen used. It's on the exurban boundary of the metro area, but we do get backups over the weekends that could warrant its use.

Doesn't look very rural or remote to me.

Like I said, it's on the exurban boundary. It's the cutoff between the urbanized metro and farmland.

[wanderer2575]

Planned for future:  As part of 2022-2024 reconstruction and flex-lane implementation on about 12 miles of I-96 in western Oakland County, MDOT (Michigan) will be installing a total of eight ramp meters among three interchanges (Novi, Wixom, and Milford roads).  I would consider this a rural stretch, although with some heavy volumes (especially eastbound in the mornings and westbound in the evenings -- hence the flex lanes).

[jakeroot]

Regarding the OP, I would consider Jake's original example exurban instead of rural, given the suburban-style development through Snoqualmie and North Bend.  I would argue you don't really get to rural until you're past the Edgewick exit (Exit 34).

It may be exurban, yes. But it's still pretty remote (note the thread title is "rural/remote"). I understand our definitions of what is rural/urban/suburban/exurban is going to vary so I'm really just looking for examples that seem out of place (even if they make sense...and I'm sure all of the examples do, otherwise they'd have no reason to exist). My OP example may not truly be "rural", but it is very remote. It's seven miles from the next closest ramp meter, and is easily the furthest east ramp meter in the Seattle metro area.

In the case of the Smokey Point (I-5 Exit 206) example from Bruce, that's about as urban as I would like to see here. It may seem to fit the environment, but Smokey Point overall is a pretty remote location and, even though I-5 can get busy through there, it does seem odd to have meters there. Clearly the state thinks so too, as they've never activated them. The even-newer 116 St NE interchange (Exit 202) to the south has no ramp meters, and you have to go all the way into Everett city limits (ten miles south) to find another one. So Smokey Point's ramp meters are definitely very remote, so I think they're a good fit for this thread.

[jakeroot]

Planned for future:  As part of 2022-2024 reconstruction and flex-lane implementation on about 12 miles of I-96 in western Oakland County, MDOT (Michigan) will be installing a total of eight ramp meters among three interchanges (Novi, Wixom, and Milford roads).  I would consider this a rural stretch, although with some heavy volumes (especially eastbound in the mornings and westbound in the evenings -- hence the flex lanes).

Looking at the area on a map, it does seem like it would be a little more urban than I'm looking for. And I only say that because there seems to be relatively-constant development even out towards Milford. It is extremely suburban, almost so suburban that you have to wonder if there's really enough traffic entering at those interchanges to warrant ramp meters. Hence why I'm sure you brought it up. But at least from my perspective, it does seem just urban enough to warrant meters.

One way they'd definitely still qualify though: they are definitely remote. I cannot find any other ramp meters close by.

[deathtopumpkins]

Those Emprie and Idaho Springs examples aren't even the only ones on I-70 through the Rockies. Several interchanges actually have them for eastbound onramps. Going west we have:

US 6 east of Loveland Pass: https://goo.gl/maps/tSK6H5i4wr5mCeTc8
US 6 / CO-9 in Silverthorne: https://goo.gl/maps/yuERCE2dPp9Rpoyd7
CO-9 in Frisco: https://goo.gl/maps/ojLMiPRjTJbotcov8
CO-91 in Copper Mountain: https://goo.gl/maps/C5aNFfhxZAn72Sgz6

And it's not a ramp meter, but of course there's the metering signals on I-70 at the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels: https://goo.gl/maps/hkpgxvgpxVcry9rLA (note these are not just to stop traffic in the event of an incident in the tunnel - they do get used as metering signals to keep traffic flowing through the tunnel during congested periods!)



In Washington, I'm surprised Jake hasn't mentioned the meters on I-5 around JBLM - they struck me as surprising.

E.g. https://goo.gl/maps/STwxzsn5F5uTBoEA6, https://goo.gl/maps/7sJXDE8ZH5hQMqEt7

[kphoger]

CO-91 in Copper Mountain: https://goo.gl/maps/C5aNFfhxZAn72Sgz6

In Washington, I'm surprised Jake hasn't mentioned the meters on I-5 around JBLM - they struck me as surprising.
E.g. https://goo.gl/maps/C5aNFfhxZAn72Sgz6

Same link.

[jakeroot]

In Washington, I'm surprised Jake hasn't mentioned the meters on I-5 around JBLM - they struck me as surprising.

E.g. https://goo.gl/maps/C5aNFfhxZAn72Sgz6, https://goo.gl/maps/7sJXDE8ZH5hQMqEt7

(check the first link) (looks like kphoger beat me to it)

I was intentionally leaving out the JBLM examples for a couple reasons. One, it's a very busy area and the ramp meters are quite important through there (as opposed to my OP/Snoqualmie example, where I've never seen a backup). Even the Nisqually example (your second link) is active quite frequently. The second reason is because, although they are kind of remote from the rest of the Seattle metro ramp meters, they aren't really alone. There are a lot of ramp meters in Lacey and Olympia (not on Street View yet), even in parts of Lakewood (Bridgeport, Gravelly Lake, 512, Steele, and Pacific interchanges). Tacoma has almost no ramp meters, but I'm sure that will change in the next ten years. All told, there are a lot of ramp meters in the area so I wouldn't really consider them remote. Never mind that JBLM is not a rural area. Not in my opinion, at least.

Those Empire and Idaho Springs examples aren't even the only ones on I-70 through the Rockies. Several interchanges actually have them for eastbound onramps. Going west we have:

US 6 east of Loveland Pass: https://goo.gl/maps/tSK6H5i4wr5mCeTc8
US 6 / CO-9 in Silverthorne: https://goo.gl/maps/yuERCE2dPp9Rpoyd7
CO-9 in Frisco: https://goo.gl/maps/ojLMiPRjTJbotcov8
CO-91 in Copper Mountain: https://goo.gl/maps/C5aNFfhxZAn72Sgz6

And it's not a ramp meter, but of course there's the metering signals on I-70 at the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnels: https://goo.gl/maps/hkpgxvgpxVcry9rLA (note these are not just to stop traffic in the event of an incident in the tunnel - they do get used as metering signals to keep traffic flowing through the tunnel during congested periods!)

Those are more great examples! And it really highlights just how crazy busy I-70 can get through the Rockies.

I've never seen ramp metering for a tunnel like that. I can't imagine they're active very often?

[deathtopumpkins]

Whoops, fixed the link! It was the exit 116 SB onramp.

I've never seen ramp metering for a tunnel like that. I can't imagine they're active very often?

My understanding is that they are used as-needed to prevent traffic from backing up through the tunnel, which would usually be an issue on Sunday afternoons, or in the case of some sort of incident near the tunnel.