I-90 Shows Signs Of Increased Traffic
The diagnosis is in: Traffic congestion on Spokane’s Interstate 90 has reached big-city status as far as the Department of Transportation is concerned.
So, I-90 is getting a dose of big-city technology.
Treatment begins next month, when five electronic message signs will start telling drivers about weather, accidents and lane closures. When traffic is particularly bad, the bright yellow signs may suggest alternate routes.
“Any time we can provide more information to drivers, I say it’s worth it,” said Sgt. Chris Powell, a spokesman for the Washington State Patrol.
“Especially when you look at what’s been going on on I-90. It’s always backed-up now during the rush hours. When lanes are restricted, it takes longer and longer to get through.”
The signs stand 18 feet tall and will display letters big enough for drivers to read from 800 feet away. Two eastbound I-90 signs will be set up near the Division Street on-ramp and just before Geiger Boulevard. Two more will be for westbound drivers, one near Altamont Street and another at Park Road.
A fifth sign will be located eastbound on U.S. Highway 2 near Spotted Road. The five signs cost $600,000.
“We’re bringing Spokane into the intelligent highway age,” said Al Gilson, a DOT spokesman.
Workers at the DOT’s maintenance office at Division and Hastings will control the messages through telephone connections linked directly to each sign. WSP dispatchers also will be able to change messages.
The signs are used extensively in cities on the East Coast, as well as in the Puget Sound area on congested freeways like Interstate 5 and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
The more than 100,000 cars travelling on I-90 each day don’t come close to the traffic volumes in those areas, but DOT officials said they’re trying to prepare for more growth in Spokane.
No projects to widen I-90 are planned, Gilson said.
“We have to do something to help people manage the increased congestion,” he said. “The signs will help.”
Besides encouraging drivers to slow down, especially on icy roads, the fluorescent messages will explain the cause of any delays.
“Often that’s the worst part, being stuck in creeping traffic and having no idea what the problem is ahead,” Gilson said.
Once drivers know what they’re dealing with, they can make a decision to exit the freeway early or bear with the slow-moving traffic.
Gilson said more signs may be added in the next few years, along with permanent video cameras that will allow both DOT and WSP workers to monitor traffic and dispatch help more quickly.
DOT officials will begin testing the first five signs on I-90 and Highway 2 next week. They should be running in 20 days, Gilson said.
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo; Graphic: Spokane’s new commuter alert signs