City Installing New Downtown Signals

TYLER — The City of Tyler Traffic Engineering Department has begun installation of new poles and traffic signals in the downtown. The installation of the signals at 14 intersections is expected to take 4-6 weeks. Funding for the project came from a $1,005,700 U.S. Department of Energy grant to improve the efficiency of vehicular traffic in the downtown area. The plans call for the replacement of the existing signal equipment including poles, signal heads, control boxes, wiring, pedestrian signals and communication systems. “The poles and signal heads for this project were selected to match the historic ambience of the downtown,” said City Manager Mark McDaniel. “The enhanced performance as well as the historic appearance is a tremendous improvement in the downtown.”

Currently, the system is operated on a fixed time basis, which cannot be adjusted to meet varying traffic demands. The new system will utilize camera detection that officials say will allow for more efficient operation. The camera detection identifies a waiting vehicle and changes the signal as warranted. This allows the more heavily traveled corridor to have the majority of green time. “The equipment now in use dates back to the 1950’s,” said Traffic Engineer Peter Eng. “As these signals age and become inoperable, it has been increasingly difficult to locate replacement parts as they are no longer manufactured. This funding will allow the complete replacement of these obsolete signalized intersections.”

The grant was part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), authorized in Title V, Subtitle E of the Energy Independent and Security Act (EISA), signed into law on Dec. 19, 2007. This grant was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.