NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The covered-up traffic lights which have been hanging above the on-ramps to the Pontchartrain Expressway for about eight months will be turned on today at 3 p.m. Those traffic lights are actually called, ramp meters and they’re designed to reduce traffic when cars merge onto the expressway.
Seven ramp meters between Annunciation Street and Claiborne Avenue (three in the river-bound direction and four lake-bound) will be active Monday through Friday during peak traffic hours. That’s 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. They will also be activated for special events or any incident that increases volume in the corridor.
Citing data, the Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development says the meters reduce crashes by as much as 30 percent.
Ramp meters have been around for awhile, mostly in bigger cities, but Baton Rouge installed the first meters in Louisiana on I-12 in the summer of 2012.
How do they work?
Ramp meters are stop-and-go traffic signals that control the frequency with which vehicles enter the flow of traffic on the freeway.
They are located on the Pontchartrain Expressway on-ramps and look similar to a traffic signal.
A red signal directs the motorist to stop for a few seconds until the green light is activated, signaling the motorist to proceed and safely merge onto the expressway.
The green light accommodates one car per lane. On entrance ramps with two lanes, the green signal will alternate between the two lanes.
When the ramp meter signal is turned off, motorists should merge as usual.
For more information, please visit www.dotd.la.gov, email dotdcs@la.gov, or call DOTD’s Customer Service Center at (225) 379-1232 or 1-877-4LADOTD (1-877-452-3683)