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Timing is right to re-time traffic lights
(by Sue Reid - June 24, 2009)
Timing is right to re-time traffic lights
By SUE REID
Solon City Council's finance committee approved having legislation prepared last week to accept the proposal from URS Corp. for the re-timing of traffic signals along the city's central corridor.
The proposal, in the amount of $57,008, also was recommended by council's safety and public properties committee, which referred the cost to the finance committee.
Assistant Public Works Director David Hromco said the signals to be re-timed are those that operate in the central portion of the city and along the SOM Center Road (Route 91) corridor heading south.
Mr. Hromco told the committee that although the system has been "tweaked" here and there over time, it has been about nine years since the signals have been re-timed.
He said the work can be incorporated in an upcoming $7 million traffic-signal project for which the city has made application to Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency.
"This project will give us a sound basis for that," Mr. Hromco said of the larger project. As part of that larger project, timing analysis will need to be performed, he said.
He also said that it would be appropriate that the timing is all evaluated at this time. The large traffic-signal project is still years off, Mr. Hromco said.
Councilman and committee member Lon D. Stolarsky asked if this would be a waste of money doing this project first. Mr. Hromco said no.
He said $57,000 is a lot of money, but if the re-timing can shave a few seconds off the trip north and south on SOM Center Road for drivers, it is extremely beneficial.
The project stemmed from resident complaints on the timing of the signals, especially on SOM Center and Aurora (Route 43) roads and SOM Center and Solon roads. The timing in some directions was as little as 10 to 15 seconds.
In explaining the depth of the project, city Traffic Engineer Kevin Westbrooks said that along SOM Center Road, there are actually two systems, each with different software. Among the two systems, there are 21 signals, he said.
"The timing for each signal will need to be modified," Mr. Westbrooks said.
"This will all be done in an effort to make our closed-loop-traffic- control system more efficient," Mr. Hromco said.
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