Washington DOT adds traffic cams, ramp meters on I-5

The Washington State Department of Transportation recently installed seven traffic cameras and three ramp meters along an 11-mile stretch of southbound I-5. Department officials hope the devices will help regulate traffic flow between Lakewood and Lacey.

Images from the cameras will be available on WSDOT’s website 24/7, so motorists can see what traffic is like before leaving home. The site will also display estimated travel times between Tacoma and Olympia.

Cameras were placed at Marvin Road, Mounts Road, Center Drive, DuPont-Steilacoom Road Southwest and just north of DuPont; two additional cameras will observe the area near the Joint Base Lewis-McChord main gate. The ramp meters are positioned at the northbound I-5 on-ramps at Marvin Road, Nisqually Road and Mounts Road.

The traffic improvement project will cost the state a total of $1 million, provided through a federal grant procured last year; other phases will include widening of the highway shoulders, as well as more ramp meters and signals.

WSDOT regional administrator Kevin Dayton cautioned that the new measures could have little to no effect on major backups related to heavy use or accidents.