Troublesome traffic lights on waterfront to be fixed
Control at three-way intersection was 'fried by Sandy'
Broken traffic signals at one of the city’s busiest intersections will soon be repaired, with the work expected to begin by Aug.19.
The lights at the three-way intersection of Kingsley Street and Cookman and Asbury avenues have been broken since Hurricane Sandy hit in October.
Councilwoman Amy Quinn, who initiated the discussion about the signals at Wednesday night’s council meeting, said traffic in that area last Friday night was a “disaster.”
The city’s engineering department has made several unsuccessful attempts to fix the lights since the storm, but the lights at that specific intersection ran on a newer, digital signal controller box that was “fried by Sandy,” according to city engineer Joe Cunha. A replacement unit costs $5000.
“The signal controller keeps the timing and is the ‘brain’ of the light,” he said.
Cunha must now order a new controller box, and hopes to begin its installation on Aug. 19.
Waterfront redeveloper istar Financial, which is in the process of building the VIVE townhouse complex nearby, “had an idea about swapping out the actual signals, but it doesn’t matter because the box is fried,” Cunha said. “It’s more than just swapping out a traffic signal.”
Not all of the city’s lights operate on the same system, according to Cunha.
“When I was hired, I inherited this bay of old traffic signal pieces,” he said. “But those old lights are dinosaurs. It’s hard to find replacement parts. Some of [the pieces in the bay] can be swapped out to repair lights that run on the older system, but that isn’t the case for the light at Kingsley and Asbury avenues, as well as any other light still blinking,” he said.
While there are other traffic signals that still need to be replaced, Cunha said the traffic light at the intersection of Kingsley and Asbury avenues is “a first priority.”
The city is financially responsible for traffic lights on the waterfront not covered by agreements requiring redevelopers to pay the costs, said Cunha.
The city will utilize a bond that is FEMA reimbursable to pay for the replacement system.
“We won’t be contracting out [for labor to repair the signals], we’re trying to do everything in-house,” he said.
In an effort to protect the replacement boxes from future storm damage, Cunha will also adjust the elevation on the replacement boxes to keep them out of the flood area.
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