10-19-2000 Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

• .4,01ES07. Minnesota Department of Transportation F e Transportation Building 395 John Ireland Boulevard St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1899 Ramp Meter Study Fact Sheet (9/22/00) Background A bill passed by the 2000 Legislature requires that the Minnesota Department of Transportation study the effectiveness of ramp meters in the Twin Cities metro area by conducting a shutdown study before the next legislative session. The results will be shared with the Legislature and the public by Feb. 1, 2001. The goal of the study is to evaluate the traffic flow and safety impacts associated with turning off all ramp meters. Specifics of Ramp Meter Study The study began with a four-to-six week pre-study data collection the week of Sept. 11, in order for the consultant to compare against the data collected when the ramps are shut down in October. In total,both the"before" and "after"data collection should take about 10 to 12 weeks. Cambridge Systematics, Cambridge, Mass., is the consultant that will conduct the study. The study will cost$651,600. • The consultant will be studying four freeway corridors that have been chosen as representative of the system. The location of these corridors will not be made public, so as to maintain the integrity of the data. Study objectives include: • To fully explore the impacts of ramp metering on freeways, local roads, and on transit operations. • To identify the public perception of ramp metering. • To compare Minnesota's ramp metering system and timing strategies with other regional systems across the country. To measure customer satisfaction, the consultant plans to use a series of focus groups and telephone surveys to talk to 1,540 users of the system. The consultant will be looking for individual traveler-oriented perspectives regarding ramp meters and ramp meter operation. Ramp meters in the Twin Cities There are 430 ramp meters on approximately 210 miles of freeways in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Ramp metering began in the Twin Cities in 1969 with a pilot project on I-35E in St. Paul. Ramp meter timing is based on real-time traffic conditions that are set by computers located at Mn/DOT's Traffic Management Center. • An equal opportunity employer