Frequently Asked Questions

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• What's the difference between an on-ramp signal and a ramp meter?
  ​An on-ramp signal and a ramp meter are the same thing. North Carolina uses the term on-ramp signal to describe the technology, but federal guidelines require that advanced-warning signs use the term ramp meter.
• Do I have to obey the on-ramp signal?
  Yes. On-ramp signals are treated and enforced just like traffic signals. Violating an on-ramp signal can result in being ticketed by a law enforcement officer.
• How can vehicles merge safely into traffic from a full stop at a signal?
  ​Each signaled ramp is long enough for a vehicle to accelerate to a safe speed before merging into freeway traffic.
• How do you keep traffic from backing up onto other streets?
  ​On-ramp signals respond to real-time traffic conditions to balance traffic flow. If vehicles start to back up on the ramp, a sensor will activate the signal to adjust and quickly clear the backup. Traffic cameras will also feed live images to NCDOT's traffic operations center, allowing traffic specialists to manually adjust the signals, if necessary.

7/9/2019 11:16 AM