New signals promise quicker trips through Lexington

The switch gets turned on Monday for the first piece of the “green-light tunnel” coming on major roads through the town of Lexington.

Long-awaited computerized signals that adapt with the flow of traffic go into use at five intersections, opening the way for faster trips to work and shopping across central Lexington County.

Lexington volunteered to be the first municipality in South Carolina to test the signals. It gives state transportation officials an opportunity to see if technology is a faster and cheaper way to lessen traffic jams instead of widening roads and intersections.

The digital signals will monitor vehicles on congested roads through the center of town where three major commuter routes and retail thoroughfares converge.

More signals will follow in stages through the end of 2017 as equipment for hanging them becomes available.

The new signals are part of an attempt by town leaders to alleviate mile-long backups common during rush hour with technology instead of increasingly expensive road improvements that may be outdated as soon as they are finished.

“This promises to have more impact on our problems,” Mayor Steve MacDougall said of the network of signals that will create “the tunnel.”

The $5.3 million network eventually will oversee 35 intersections in and around downtown to allow steady progress for motorists on U.S. 1, U.S. 378 and S.C. 6 when traffic is heavy.

About 81,000 vehicles travel daily on those roads through the steadily growing town of 20,000 residents, state traffic counts say.

Motorists won’t notice dramatic changes for a few weeks.

At first, the new signals will be used to measure traffic flow prior to being put into full-scale use in late January.

Cameras on traffic poles feed vehicle flow information to computers controlling signals, deciding how long lights stay green under the oversight of town traffic specialists who will monitor traffic live, first on laptops, and later on a bank of closed-circuit screens. The cameras can’t be used to detect traffic violations, officials said.

Town leaders view the new signals as the future of traffic management.

Besides less congestion, the plan promises fewer crashes and reduced pollution, they said. In addition, they hope more shoppers will be attracted to a struggling downtown retail area if travel there is less of a hassle.

The new signals “go hand-in-hand” with plans for $13.6 million in improvements on three busy stretches of the thoroughfares slated to completed by 2020, said town Transportation Director Randy Edwards.

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 8:30 PM with the headline "New signals promise quicker trips through Lexington."