(WXYZ) — Nothing is more frustrating than getting stuck in traffic during construction season, especially when you have some place you need to get to on time.
However, the Michigan Department of Transportation is trying to relive some of the headache by clearing up any confusion on zipper merges.
A zipper merge is when two lanes of traffic are brought down to one lane of traffic. When to merge can get confusing, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
The wrong way – hogging both lanes. It's something generally done by larger vehicles or semi trucks who don't want to allow people in the lane that is closed ahead to pass them.
If traffic is light, it's OK to move over a little early, before the lane closes. But, in moderate to heavy traffic, think of the zipper merge.
The zipper merge is when drivers use both lanes, with drivers taking turns alternating into the open lane. It's just like a zipper, hence the name.
MDOT also has new signs this construction season, instructing drivers to "take turns" using both lanes to avoid backups, as well as letting drivers know when to merge.
“If we have one single file line it is going to be twice as long as if we were in both lanes here, so that is really what we want to reduce is the length of that backup," Chris Brookes, a work zone delivery engineer for MDOT, said. "When we start backing up past theses signs here that is when we want motorist to start using both lanes.”
Getting over too early could take you longer to pass through a construction zone. But, the worst kind of driver, according to engineers, is the one who blocks both lanes.
"I think the, 'Oh no, you don’t merge' is really the biggest problem," Rob Brenke, the executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies, said. "I think that’s causing a lot of the biggest problem because now you are backing up two lanes even further, and it could back up into another interchange and cause problems for the behind.”
Now that you know the right way, the real question is, can we all get on the same page? Part of it is education. Another part of it is having the guts to move on up.
It is against the law to block a lane of traffic before the merge. According to Michigan State Police, drivers could get a ticket for impeding traffic, a lane violation or careless driving.
MSP said this summer, troopers will be looking out for more speeders, reckless driving, and following too closely since those are the traffic behaviors that can cause deadly crashes.
