Washington-Oregon travel time signs activated

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 10/15/2015 11:00 AM PDT

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Oct. 15, 2015

Contacts

Tamara Greenwell, WSDOT, 360-905-2056

Don Hamilton, ODOT, 503-704-7452

 Signs of the time: Travel-time signs connecting Washington and Oregon go live

VANCOUVER – Washington and Oregon will be foes on the football field this weekend, but a new bi-state partnership will help travelers in both states. Drivers traveling between Washington and Oregon now have a new traffic tool to help them make real-time decisions based on traffic conditions on the road.

Earlier Thursday, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of Transportation activated electronic signs that display travel times to key destinations on both sides of the Columbia River.

“The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but if that straight line is backed up and congested, a different route might save you time,” said WSDOT Assistant Traffic Engineer Stan Markuson. “Diverting could put more miles on your car, but could also shave minutes off your trip.”

Three signs in Oregon will provide northbound travel times on Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 to the I-5/I-205 merge in Clark County:

  • On northbound I-5, south of the I-205 split near Tualatin.
  • On northbound I-205, near Southeast Sunnyside Road prior to the Interstate 84 interchange.
  • On northbound I-5, south of the Marquam Bridge before the exit to I-84.

Four signs in Washington will provide southbound travel times to destinations in the Portland metro area along I-5, I-205 and I-84:

  • On southbound I-5, north of the Fourth Plain Boulevard exit approaching the exit to State Route 14.
  • On southbound I-5, south of State Route 502 before the I-205 split.
  • On southbound I-205, south of State Route 500 approaching the SR 14 exit (sign to be installed in spring 2016).
  • On westbound SR 14, east of 164th Street before the I-205 intersection.

The travel times shown on the new LED signs are based on information gathered by hundreds of sensors embedded along the highway system. Upgrades were made to software applications in both states to share cross-state travel information in order to provide reliable information for drivers.

“Changing routes in response to real-time conditions can improve congestion throughout the Portland/Vancouver metro highway system,” said Dennis Mitchell, Portland area traffic engineer for the ODOT. “Drivers can use the information to make decisions about whether to stop for gas, grab a bite to eat or continue on their way.”

The travel-time signs are new to southwest Washington and are similar to signs already in use in Tacoma and Seattle. Oregon began using them around the Portland area in July 2014. In addition to the new signs, drivers will be able to check drive times on the WSDOT travel times website.

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