Ramp meters are traffic signals on freeway entrance ramps that release one or two vehicles at a time. By regulating the flow of traffic onto the freeway, ramp meters can break up large platoons of vehicles to make it easier and safer for motorists to merge onto the freeway.

Benefits of Ramp Meters
Ramp meters are used in more than 33 metro areas in the United States, including Detroit, Seattle and Atlanta. Case studies have shown that ramp meters substantially reduce the total number of crashes – in some cases by up to 50 percent. In addition, they can improve travel times by up to 60 percent.

Flow
Ramp meters help increase the flow of traffic and help provide more uniform flow. This means a smoother ride with less stop-and-go traffic, which saves on the wear and tear on your vehicle, saving you money in the long run. Ramp meters also create smoother merging onto the freeway, eliminating some of the slow downs for vehicles traveling in the far right lane.

Speed
Studies have shown that ramp meters often increase the overall speed on the highway up to 20 percent during the peak hour. This means you get home for dinner or to the show a bit sooner than before.

How to use them:

1. Pull up to the “stop bar”: pull your vehicle all the way to the white line (stop bar) to trigger the ramp meter.
2. When the light turns green, accelerate and merge with the mainline traffic. A green light does not indicate there is a break in traffic. You must yield the right-of-way to mainline traffic. Mainline traffic should do their part by creating a space for you to enter.
3. Give it time: it takes time for motorists to adjust to traffic changes; ramp wait times may be unusually long at first. The timing of the meters will be adjusted as conditions change.

Where are the new ramp meters located?

• Roberts Road ramp to Southbound I-270
• Fisher Road ramp to Eastbound I-70
• Greenlawn Avenue ramp to Northbound I-71
• Town Street ramp to Northbound S.R. 315
• Lane Ave. ramp to Southbound S.R. 315
• Henderson Road ramp to Southbound S.R. 315
• Bethel Road ramp to Southbound S.R. 315

Where are the existing ramp meters located?

• 2nd Street ramp to Westbound I-70
• 3rd Street ramp to Westbound I-70
• Main Street ramp to Eastbound I-70
• Broad Street ramp to Southbound I-71
• Long Street ramp to Northbound I-71
• Fifth Avenue ramp to Southbound I-71
• Fifth Avenue ramp to Northbound I-71
• 11th Avenue ramp to Northbound I-71
• 17th Avenue ramp to Southbound I-71
• 17th Avenue ramp to Northbound I-71
• Hudson Street ramp to Southbound I-71
• Hudson Street ramp to Northbound I-71
• Weber Road ramp to Southbound I-71
• East North Broadway ramp toSouthbound I-71
• Cooke Road ramp to Southbound I-71
• Morse Road ramp to Southbound I-71
• Sinclair Road ramp to Southbound I-71

Common Questions about Ramp Meters

Q: Will all ramps be metered?
A: No. When deciding where ramp meters provide the most benefits to traffic, ODOT engineers analyze each ramp’s volumes, crashes, the physical layout of the ramps and mainline traffic volumes. Some ramps have too many vehicles on them to reasonably meter traffic.

Q: When would the meters be operated?
A: The ramps will be metered during the peak travel times—weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The specific time will vary depending on the ramp’s location and the level of traffic congestion. Due to the length of certain ramps, meters will only be operating at some locations when mainline speeds are low enough to support a ramp merge safely.

Q: Will every vehicle be stopped on these ramps?
A: When the ramp meter is operating, every vehicle will need to stop at the white line when the light is red. One vehicle will be released per green signal, which is typically no more than 15 seconds.

Q: Will the ramps need to be extended / lengthened?
A: To provide the appropriate acceleration distances, the ramps at Fisher Road and I-70, Bethel Road and S.R. 315, and Henderson Road and S.R. 315 will only be operating when mainline traffic speeds are below 50 mph.

Q: What are the negatives of ramp meters?
A: Ramp meters will require vehicles to stop on the entrance ramps to the freeway during rush hour and during freeway crashes or other incidents. As a result, motorists will experience a delay ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. However, the benefits outweigh the delay by reducing crashes and increasing overall freeway travel speeds.

Q: How will the ramp meters be enforced?
A: Ramp meters are legal traffic signals and Columbus Police Officers will be patrolling the ramps to ensure motorists are obeying the signals. Motorists would be cited similarly for violating a ramp meter as they are for running a red light.

Q: Will the ramp meters allow me to gain enough speed to access the freeway safely?
A: When the light turns green, motorists need to accelerate to freeway speeds to merge with mainline traffic. To provide the appropriate acceleration distances, the ramps at Fisher Road and I-70, Bethel Road and S.R. 315, and Henderson Road and S.R. 315 will only be operating when mainline traffic speeds are below 50 mph.