According to the WSDOT 2018 Delivery Plan (https://tinyurl.com/yd7e694c), ramp meters will be installed in the 2019-2023 time frame. Those all-too-familiar red/green traffic signals we see on some Portland onramps. The ones that alternate red/green while you sit there watching it, knowing that you cannot really go forward because of the crush of traffic. They may work well when traffic is light to moderate, but fail completely when traffic is heavy.
What is ignored is what it does to the city streets that back up with the start-stop-start-stop that the meters reflect. It is concerning to me that it will create a backlog up Mill Plain Boulevard, which is already backing up to N.E. 120th and N.E. 123rd avenues during the rush hours — will it now extend back to N.E. 132nd? N.E. 134th?
Clearly, WSDOT needs to have discussions with the neighborhoods next to the Mill Plain Boulevard interchange, and the other onramp meters coming for the 18th Street and state Highway 500 interchanges as well. People need to contact their representatives and WSDOT officials to ensure their voices are heard about projects like this. I have already contacted mine.
