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TAM tells Mill Valley council four northbound ramp meters on US-101 will be activated June 24; Caltrans to monitor field impacts
Summary
The Transportation Authority of Marin said Caltrans will activate four northbound ramp meters on U.S. 101 on June 24 to mitigate congestion tied to the Marin Sonoma Narrows project and a change in HOV hours; Caltrans will observe impacts for about a week and the agencies will monitor throughput, queue length and travel time.
The Transportation Authority of Marin updated the Mill Valley City Council on June 2 that Caltrans plans to activate four northbound ramp meters on U.S. 101 on June 24 as part of a package of summer changes tied to the completion of the Marin Sonoma Narrows project and a coordination of HOV hours across Marin and Sonoma counties.
Anne Richmond, TAM's executive director, identified the ramps set to turn on as the Bridgeway/Gate 6 ramp, the East Blythdale loop, the Tiburon Boulevard diagonal and the Tamalpais diagonal. She said the meters have been installed and tested and that Caltrans will be on site after activation to observe operations and adjust timing if local queueing or safety issues arise. "Caltrans will activate those 4 meters on June 24," Richmond said.
Why it matters: The meters are intended to reduce freeway congestion and improve merging safety by metering vehicles onto the highway. TAM staff said the meters are time-of-day devices with loop detectors to lengthen green time if queues back up on the ramp; adaptive meters are a longer-term possibility through regional funding.
Monitoring and metrics: Council members pressed for clarity on the monitoring that will follow activation. Richmond and TAM staff said Caltrans and partner agencies plan to measure vehicle throughput, queue length, HOV utilization and travel time during the monitoring period and beyond; staff also noted concern for any spillback to local streets and said local impacts will be watched closely. The agencies discussed whether additional monitoring during September (when commuters return from summer patterns) would be feasible.
Next steps: The meters will operate weekdays, 2–7 p.m., initially; TAM and Caltrans will coordinate observation and may make adjustments after the first week of activation. TAM noted Metropolitan Transportation Commission interest in upgrading to networked adaptive meters in the coming years and encouraged the public to report issues to any hotlines Caltrans provides during the rollout.
Council follow-up: Council members asked that staff arrange a follow-up briefing or data report once Caltrans has collected monitoring results, and TAM agreed to explore additional monitoring options and share findings.
