CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The JFK Causeway will be down to one lane in each direction for the rest of the week. Long lines of traffic on both sides of the bridge were seen Monday as Island residents try to get to and from home, and tourists try to get to and from the beach.
There may be a way for drivers to ease the time spent in traffic, but it is all about working together.
For some drivers, it may be frustrating for other drivers to pass them up and wait until the last second to merge, but those drivers may actually be doing it right.
It's called Dynamic Late Merge (DLM), or more well-known as the zipper merge. This is when drivers use the entirety of a lane before it closes and then merge, and people in the other lane take turns letting those cars in.
Research shows merging early is only an effective technique when there isn't traffic congestion. Where there is congestion, zipper merging is the preferred method.
One study in Minnesota showed this method of merging can reduce the overall length of the backup as much as 50 percent. The Federal Highway Administration said the zipper merge can also reduce the amount of road rage incidents in traffic congestion, as long as everyone works together.
So, if you see someone waiting until the last minute to merge, don't get mad at them. Know they're doing their part to help traffic flow more smoothly, and kindly let them in.
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