RALEIGH, N.C. — New digital road signs are helping reduce traffic by several miles on busy North Carolina highways, according to NC Department of Transportation officials.
NCDOT recently introduced the signs in several busy work zones, including I-40 East and West near Winston-Salem, and I-77 North in Yadkin County. The idea is to improve safety, reduce backups, and help drivers "zipper merge," or take turns merging when two lanes become one.
Here's how the signs work: NCDOT says sensors are set up on the highways several miles before the driver has to merge. The sensors gather data about traffic flow, and that data is sent to the message board. So drivers may see messages like "Slow Traffic 1 Mile," "Stopped Traffic 2 Miles," "Merge Here," or "Take Turns."
NCDOT says the signs are working, because it's already helped reduce I-77 North backups from 8 miles to 2 miles in Davie County.
NCDOT says a fourth system is set to be installed next week on I-77 South in Yadkin County, where concrete roadway is being replaced.