Colorado transportation officials will soon be launching a new program to help ease the infamous rush-hour gridlock on Interstate 25 south of Denver.
The Smart 25 Managed Motorways Pilot Program will use what's called "coordinated ramp metering" on 14 miles of northbound I-25 between University Boulevard in Denver and Ridgegate Parkway in Lone Tree, reports AP.
The traffic lights will be able to make constant and fast-paced changes to the length of time cars will have to wait on entrance ramps before merging onto the highway. With this technology, traffic engineers believe slowdowns and traffic jams will be reduced and possibly avoided altogether.
Officials, like the Colorado Department of Transportation Smart 25 Project Manager Zach Miller, are optimistic about the program because it already exists in Melbourne, Australia.
“Australia has figured out how to use algorithms to resolve complex traffic problems to prevent congestion,” Miller told AP. “I am hopeful this technique can be beneficial to CDOT as well.”
Since implementing the coordinated ramp metering program on their M1 freeway, the number of vehicles getting through increased by 25% during peak commuting hours.
The rest of the summer will see a "soft launch" of the program and full operation will take place over the following four months.
CDOT is spending $5 million on the pilot program, according to Miller. Next year they will assess its efficacy and decide if will be implemented permanently.