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NOACA funding sought for $7.4 million signal upgrade
(by Sue Reid - February 18, 2009)
NOACA funding sought for $7.4 million signal upgrade
By SUE REID
Solon City Council's safety and public properties committee approved a motion last week for an application to the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency for funding new traffic-signal systems. The estimated cost for doing the project in the city is $7.4 million.
Funding for the new systems would be through the congestion-mitigation air-quality program, which would pay 80 percent of the construction cost, while the city would be required to pay the 20 percent match.
Based on the estimated construction cost, according to city Engineer John J. Busch, the city's share would be $1.48 million. The city also would be responsible for the design of the project, he said, which is estimated at approximately $250,000. The city may pursue additional funding from Ohio Department of Transportation highway safety program to help offset the local cost.
Kevin P. Westbrooks, Solon's traffic engineer, told the committee that many of the traffic signals in the city are 30 years old, "beyond their useful life" and in need of replacement. The software that controls the systems was once state-of-the-art but now is outdated, he said. Newer systems are more flexible and easier to control, he said.
"The new systems will provide improved control and additional features to move traffic through Solon more effectively than the current systems," Mr. Westbrooks said.
The application to NOACA would provide for the replacement or upgrade of every traffic signal maintained by the City of Solon, Mr. Westbrooks said.
The purpose of the project, he said, would be to replace aged equipment and upgrade the city's closed-loop signal system to a central-based control system. "The brain of the system would be sitting in City Hall," he said. "The brains of the current system is out on the street."
Mr. Westbrooks said the $7.4 million is a "hefty price tag," but the NOACA program pays 80 percent of the cost. "If this is successful," he said of the application, we would like to put a similar application together to ODOT. With ODOT, he said, proof of a properly documented safety study, as well as the fact that the current traffic system has been maintained well, holds a greater chance for the application to be approved.
"A traffic-signal system project is an excellent example of a CMAQ project," Mr. Westbrooks said. "By improving traffic flow, fuel emissions are reduced, and air quality is improved."
Councilman and committee member Edward K. Suit said ODOT has identified SOM Center Road (Route 91) as a high-crash roadway due to the large volume of traffic there.
"Just being on that list is a good step at securing funding," Mr. Westbrooks said. In addition, Solon completed a proper safety study that met ODOT's criteria, he said. "It's not that we are presenting them some obscure intersection."
Mr. Suit asked Mr. Westbrooks to attend council's meeting scheduled for Feb. 17.
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