| VDOT
Halts Stoplight Program |
By Katie Murphy
Observer Staff Writer |
| After the Federal Highway Administration released their
findings that the Route 7 stoplights were not functioning
properly, Congressman Frank Wolf put the pressure on the Virginia
Department of Transportation to fix the problem. |
| Wolf was the driving force behind the $2 million project
for the new video technology, which controls traffic along
routes 7, 28 and 50. When the technology started malfunctioning
on Route 7, Wolf stopped the funding until the problem was
identified. |
| Dennis C. Morrison, VDOT's district administrator, said
when the new technology had a lot of potential. The most important
factor was that the traffic detector would no longer be in
the pavement, which is costly and disrupts traffic. It was
assumed that the video technology would provide the same or
better results. |
| Morrison said he met with Wolf July 17, at which time VDOT
had examined four of the 22 defective traffic lights along
Route 7. Their findings showed the cameras had issues with
side streets and left-turn lanes, even after following the
recommendations of the highway administration and the camera's
manufacturer to modify the angles of the video cameras and
to test different locations to see how they would work. |
| "It's a new technology, and it needs to grow," Morrison
said. Problems always would arise from things such as glares
from the sun, shadows, wide intersections and oversized vehicles.
|
| "There were just too many issues we just couldn't overcome,"
he said. |
| J.T. Griffin, Wolf's legislative assistant, said Wolf requested
that VDOT collaborate with the highway administration to use
the rest of the money and develop a synchronization plan for
routes 7, 28 and 50. Griffin said currently the two organizations
are upgrading the synchronization program, which is located
in a steel box to the side of all stoplights. |
| Morrison said that most benefits of the camera technology
were apparent from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. when the video cameras
on the main line worked well with the traffic. The low volume
flowed consistently; however the movement from the side streets
suffered. |
| At intersections where the cameras are working, they will
remain active. In-ground magnetic detectors will be used at
intersections were the cameras are not working. Morrison said
VDOT plans to examine the other 18 signals and determine which
signal detection to use at those intersections. This should
be completed by the end of this year. |
|
| "We're just trying to squeeze as much as we can out of the
intersections," he said. During rush hour, it is hard to maximize
any additional time on the main line or side streets. But
he said VDOT is trying to keep the flow going for the whole
corridor of traffic. He said the new program will maximize
the flow of Route 7 to the best of their abilities, while
still giving time to the side streets. |
