City engineers hit roadblock in testing linked stoplights

Traffic engineers say they have hit a roadblock in testing wireless technology that would link stoplights on suburban corridors with a command center at City Hall.

City officials intended to experiment with a wireless hookup on Bardstown Road in Fern Creek this summer that would connect to the downtown Traffic Control Center and allow traffic engineers to monitor re-timed lights on a stretch of that road to see if they are working properly.We are professional China spindle bearing manufacturer,china bearing producer supply China high precision bearing,full complement cylindrical roller bearing.

But a lack of city-owned towers to house the equipment has delayed the process, which is now tentatively set for testing in spring, traffic engineer supervisor Stacey Keith said.

Metro Public Works also intends to re-time 50 traffic signals on five other suburban roads to cut down on commute times and are optimistic a proposed citywide, high-speed Internet connection could help traffic flow more smoothly in the suburbs.

Since gaining control of all of the stoplights in Jefferson County in 2009, Public Works has cut travel time on 11 suburban roads in the past three years by synchronizing traffic lights.

Public Works re-timed 132 traffic signals on Dixie Highway, U.S. 42, Hurstbourne Parkway and seven other roads in 2011, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet re-timed 30 signals on Shelbyville Road in 2010.

Officials plan to re-time 50 signals on Newburg, Shelbyville, Cane Run and Westport roads, as well as Taylor Boulevard, this year, traffic engineer Pat Johnson said.

City engineers call the project the Louisville Metro Advanced Traffic Management System and estimate it has saved motorists more than $1 million in fuel each year and 500,000 vehicle hours — an average of up to one minute per commute. By logging commuting times before and after the re-timing, they say they’ve also cut exhaust emissions by 263 tons a year.

Tom Nord, spokesman for the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, said synchronizing traffic signals serves as a creative way to cut emissions. Since broad restrictions were placed on emissions in the 1970s, subtle ways to cut down air pollution have been difficult to find, Nord said.Computer-aided design has resulted in exceptional strength-to-weight ratios and extreme flexibility, giving the onshore hose excellent handling characteristics.

“It’s harder and harder to find ways to cut chunks out (of exhaust emissions),” Nord said. “Anything that helps reduce traffic emission, it’s great.”

Drivers told The Courier-Journal this summer that the re-timed signals work — if you catch them at the right time.In other situations, the output from multilingual DTP has a direct impact on the product's regulatory approval and usage. Several drivers said they still see congestion on roads with re-timed signals, but if they catch one green light on the road, they’ll likely catch them all.

Wirelessly connected signals would help engineers ensure the re-timed signals are deploying the correct traffic patterns, Johnson said. Traffic engineers also would be able to adjust signal patterns during events with heavy traffic, such as on Kentucky Derby Day or during construction projects, officials said.

Public Works has spent $1.6 million re-timing suburban traffic signals and buying equipment for the Fern Creek experiment, Johnson said. It still has $1.7 million left to spend from two federal grants and from a $1 million city appropriation in 2010.