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The Michigan Department of Transportation activated all traffic metering lights along the Interstate 96 Flex Route in western Oakland County as of 2 p.m. Sept. 3.
The I-96 Flex Route runs from Kent Lake Road to the Interstate 275/Interstate 696/M-5 interchange. The route utilizes the left shoulder as an extra traffic lane during peak traffic times to help eliminate traffic congestion.
“Drivers need to be aware and alert to the flashing yellow lights, possibly turning red/green,” an MDOT representative said in a press release.
The traffic lights on the ramps are programmed to change from yellow to red/green when traffic on the freeway is moving slower than 60 mph. This allows MDOT to control the amount of traffic on the highway, enabling it to flow more smoothly.
When a ramp metering light is active, vehicles will be shifted into two lanes on the ramp. Each lane will follow instructions from a separate ramp meter.
Drivers should stop at the white line and then wait for a green light at the ramp meter to proceed onto the freeway. The ramp meter lights will alternate, indicating which lane can enter the freeway and allowing one vehicle to proceed at a time.
Drivers who fail to stop for a red light on a ramp meter are guilty of a traffic violation, which is equivalent to running a red light. In Michigan, drivers who run a red light face fines of $100 to $350, up to 93 days in jail, and two points on their licenses.
If the ramp lights are flashing yellow, traffic can proceed straight onto the freeway without stopping.
“Most of the time, they will just be yellow. But the sensors in the road will determine the speed of traffic on the freeway, and then trigger whether or not the meters go to green or red,” Diane Cross, MDOT communications representative, said in an email.
MDOT has a video posted on its YouTube channel to educate drivers on how the ramp meters work. More information on freeway ramp metering is available on the Federal Highway Administration website.
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