If the sign has a green arrow, the flex route lane is open, allowing traffic to spill over onto it and keep the rush hour flow going along the freeway. If a red X is lit up on the flex route lane, that means the lane is closed because there isn’t any heavy traffic on or accidents near U.S. Based on what information they’re getting, they’ll post instructions to large overhead, lighted signs along the stretch that the flex route runs. How will we know when to move over to the flex route lane?ĭispatchers from MDOT and the Michigan State Police will be constantly monitoring traffic sensors, distress calls and video feeds from closed-circuit cameras. 23, which would further reduce traffic interruptions after a car or truck crash.
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With the flex route, drivers will know ahead of time to move over, allowing space for responders.Īdditionally, the Michigan Department of Transportation is adding five crash-investigation sites along U.S. (As I wrote recently, a proposed Michigan Senate bill would require drivers to go half the posted speed limit on roads when an emergency vehicle is parked on the shoulder and has its lights on.) But when drivers don’t do what they’re supposed to, or can’t see the emergency vehicle’s lights until it’s too late, emergency responders are injured or killed. Michigan’s current Move Over Law states that drivers must reduce speed and move over one lane when an emergency vehicle is on the side of the road with its lights on. The far left shoulder also will serve as a replacement lane if traffic needs to shift over because the far right lane needs to close to through traffic due to an emergency situation such as a car or truck crash. 23 between M-14 and M-36 typically has three-hour pulses of heavy rush hour traffic on the southbound lanes in the morning and the northbound lanes in the evening, and that using the flex route will shave about 20 minutes during each shift. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) says U.S. Rather, as its name suggests, it’s flexible, based on how traffic patterns and emergency situations are along the 9½-mile coverage area.įor example, the far left shoulder will open up to allow for a third lane of vehicles during peak rush hour times or heavy seasonal traffic, then close when all is settled down and people can move at a normal speed. However, this third lane isn’t always in use. What is a flex route?īasically, the far left shoulder of each side of the highway - next to the median that divides the two north- and southbound lanes - is converted into a third lane. That learning tends to come over time, and it will test our patience if other drivers can’t pick up on it as fast we think we have.
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Yet, just like with roundabouts and diverging diamonds, the 9½-mile flex route is something drivers will need to learn how to navigate.
This must be balanced against the promised benefits of improving traffic flow and increasing safety for emergency vehicles that a flex route will accomplish.
We can anticipate some drivers will become confused, and there may be at first an increase in car accidents. 23 “flex route” will debut on a portion of freeway in Washtenaw County, between M-14 outside Ann Arbor and M-36 (the Pinckney-Hamburg exit).Īs I’ve written in this Auto Lawyer blog before about roundabout intersections, there is going to be some short-term pain involved. Come this November, we’ll face another new change in how we drive: the U.S. If you’re a Michigan driver, you’ve probably had to get used to driving differently over the past 10 years, thanks to structural roadway changes such as new roundabout intersections and “diverging diamond” freeway overpasses. With new ‘flex route’ lane, rush hour traffic gets a better flow and responders have safe clearance for emergencies - as long as everyone can follow the process
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