DOT to install ramp upgrades to deter wrong-way driving

MILWAUKEE -- FOX6 News has learned the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is now beginning to install new technology upgrades on freeway ramps to deter wrong-way driving.

WisDOT is partnering with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office and TAPCO to reduce incidents of wrong-way driving on Milwaukee County freeways. There have been 31 wrong-way driving incidents in Milwaukee County in 2012.

The technology upgrades will be installed at nine on and off-ramps in Milwaukee County. It will be used to stop wrong-way drivers from getting onto the freeway system, or help get them off the freeway quickly. The technology will also help identify when a driver is going the wrong way, and alert the Sheriff’s Department and DOT so they can respond to the scene quickly. Some ramps will also have flashing LED signs.

On Friday, November 16th, two of the nine locations will be outfitted with flashing & LED enhanced signage.  Those locations are at 6th & Kilbourn (downtown) and the northbound exit at Frederick & Miller Park Way.

Eventually, officials hope to have ways of notifying drivers when a wrong-way driver is on the road.

The technology was developed by TAPCO — the maker of low-cost, intelligent warning systems. The technology was developed following a Sheriff’s Office study on wrong-way driving from 2006 through 2012 — during which there was an average of 33 wrong-way drivers each year.

CLICK HERE to learn more about recent wrong-way driving incidents in southeast Wisconsin.