Signs to ease traffic on I-80 in East Bay set to come to life

Westbound Interstate 80 commuters drive below a bank of inactive electronic traffic signs near University Avenue in Berkeley, Calif. on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Caltrans will flip the switch on the I-80 Smart Corridor project and metering lights by the end of the month. less Westbound Interstate 80 commuters drive below a bank of inactive electronic traffic signs near University Avenue in Berkeley, Calif. on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Caltrans will flip the switch on the I-80 Smart ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 25 Caption Close Signs to ease traffic on I-80 in East Bay set to come to life 1 / 25 Back to Gallery

New electronic signs will blink on Thursday in an attempt by traffic engineers to help motorists on one of the most congested sections of highway in the Bay Area avoid even more traffic misery.

More than 110 advisory signs will be activated on the 20-mile stretch of westbound Interstate 80 between the Carquinez Bridge and the Bay Bridge and on surrounding roads, said Shannon Brinias, spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation.

The electronic messages, mounted on 11 overhead structures, will display green arrows to indicate the lane is clear, a yellow X to alert motorists that there is some kind of issue ahead and a red X, meaning the lane is blocked up ahead, Brinias said.

The Lane Use and Variable Advisory Speed signs will be dark if there are no blockages on that section of highway, where an average of 25 collisions or lane-blocking incidents are reported weekly, according to Caltrans.

The idea is to alert motorists about trouble ahead so they can change lanes, which will hopefully ease commute gridlock and clear the way for emergency vehicles, said a Caltrans advisory.

A Caltrans released a video explaining the signs at: https://youtu.be/fzSx9yVbT50

Project information can be found here: http://www.80smartcorridor.org.

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite