A $33 million pilot project aimed at improving highway traffic flow within the Interstate 15 corridor will launch Monday.
“Launching California’s first smart freeway is an exciting step forward for Riverside County,” said Raymond Gregory, chair of the Riverside County Transportation Commission.
The latest Report of Registration, released by California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, found that 23,155,447 eligible Californians were registered to vote as of May 18 — the highest total in state history.
Gregory said in a statement, “Building our way out of traffic congestion is not an option. In today’s environment of rapid growth, we must look at how we can combine technology with existing infrastructure to improve the driving experience. The `Smart Freeway Pilot Project’ is an example of finding a lower cost solution that will help improve traffic flow without the addition of new lanes.”
The “I-15 Smart Freeway Project” will operate for a two-year period to improve traffic conditions on northbound I-15 from the San Diego/Riverside County line in Temecula to the 15/215 interchange in Murrieta.
The project will deploy ramp meters at Temecula Parkway, Rancho California Road and Winchester Road during peak hours to improve freeway travel times through a coordinates system that will adjust in real time to allow more or fewer vehicles to enter the freeway.
The Riverside County Transportation Commission in coordination with CalTrans will analyze the results over two years, and if the system determines to be successful, they may consider to implement it in other parts of the county.
The launch will be in coordination with the agency, Caltrans, city of Temecula and Western Riverside Council of Governments.