WSDOT goes high tech to speed I-5 express lanes switch, save drive time
Jul 23, 2012, 5:04 AM | Updated: 9:33 am
Drivers on I-5 are getting a little extra help starting
Monday as the Washington Department of Transportation debuts
new automated express lanes to speed the daily changeover
from South to North.
It used to take crews up to an hour to manually switch all
of the gates and signs along the 9-mile stretch. But it
will now take no more than 15 minutes thanks to the $6.6
million project that employs new Ethernet connections and
fiber optic cable.
“The way its going to work now is that we push a button and all of the signs light up, we can visually make sure there’s no traffic and then the gates come down,” says Jamie Holter, with the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The change will allow nearly 1,000 more cars to use the
lanes and reduce traffic congestion that builds up on the
mainline when the lanes are closed for the switchover.
“When you have all this extra space in the express lanes, it frees up space for other people,” says Holter. “You’re going to have more people using the express lanes which means they won’t be using the mainline, which means people on city streets will be able to get to the freeways faster.”
WSDOT estimates the smoother commute with save drivers about
six minutes between Northgate and the Swift/Albro exit.
