Another I-90 on-ramp in Spokane is getting one of those stop lights, pacing entry onto the freeway

The Washington State Department of Transportation will turn on a new ramp meter Thursday near Airway Heights, forcing drivers to briefly sit behind a red light and go from zero to 60 mph before merging onto Interstate 90.

The new meter will be on eastbound U.S. Highway 2 , which many drivers use when heading toward Spokane from Airway Heights or the airport. The meter, which cost $1 million to construct, will be active from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Ramp meters are red-green traffic signals at the end of on-ramps. The Department of Transportation uses them to control traffic along heavily congested sections of freeway.

Five years ago, they were unheard of in Spokane.

The Department of Transportation installed the first in 2019 on the eastbound U.S. Highway 195 ramp and has built seven more since at Monroe, Walnut, Division and Hamilton streets and Grove Road, near the Spokane International Airport. Spokane’s ramp meters have cost at least $6.7 million, WSDOT Eastern Region Communications Manager Ryan Overton said.

While the meters often annoy merging drivers, they’re a response to growing congestion on Interstate 90. Traffic experts say they improve safety by spreading out merging vehicles, easing the drive for those in the right-hand lane.

According to the Department of Transportation, ramp meters can reduce collisions by 30%.

Peak time collisions at the U.S. 195 eastbound meter have fallen 45% since 2019, the department says, and collisions at the Walnut on-ramp have declined by 70%.