Community Corner

Flashing Yellow Lights in Woodbury, Now and in the Future

How functional are the flashing yellow arrows? Tell us in the comments section below.

Since flashing yellow turn signals began popping up at Woodbury intersections, the city has received “nothing but compliments” about them.

That’s according to Paul Kauppi, assistant city engineer, who briefly outlined flashing yellows in Woodbury at last week’s City Council meeting as part of a discussion on the five-year capital-improvement plan.

Woodbury plans to eventually install flashing yellow arrows at nearly every turn signal in town, Kauppi said. (Check out the PDF with this story for a map.)

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There are some stoplights where it doesn’t work: T-stop intersections, for example, or intersections where the configuration doesn’t make sense for a flashing yellow, he said.

There have been a handful of complaints about them, mostly related to drivers not knowing how to proceed when seeing the flashing yellow lights, Kauppi said.

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From Woodbury’s Engineering Department, here’s a breakdown of the proposed flashing yellow arrow retrofit program:

Woodbury Roads

Hudson Road-City Walk Drive (completed 2012)

Hudson Road-Norma Lane (completed 2012)

Hudson Road-Pendryn Hill Curve (completed 2012)

Hudson Road-Spring Hill Drive (completed 2012)

Tamarack Road-Season Parkway (2013)

Tamarack Road-Landau Drive/Tamberwood Trail (2013)

Tamarack Road-Interlachen Parkway (2013)

Bielenberg Drive-Tamarack Hills (2014)

Bielenberg Drive-Currell Drive (2014)

Hudson Road-Tamarack Village (2014)

Lake Road-Woodlane Drive (2015)

Woodlane Drive-Wooddale Drive (2015)

Woodlane Drive-Woodbury High School (2015)

Lake Road-Courtly Road (2016)

Weir Drive-Upper Afton Road (2016)

Commerce Drive-Hudson Place (2016)

Lake Road-Wimbledon Drive (not a candidate)

Washington County Roads

Washington County currently has flashing yellow arrows installed at seven county-owned traffic signals in Woodbury, according to Nik Costello, assistant traffic engineer.

However, that not all of the signals are operating with the flashing yellow light at all times of the day. Each intersection operates the flashing yellow arrow on a schedule dependent on traffic volumes and other factors, Costello said.

Existing locations

Valley Creek Road (County Road 16) and Bielenberg Drive

Valley Creek Road and Tower Drive

Valley Creek Road and Donegal Drive/Central Park Place

Valley Creek Road and Interlachen Parkway

Valley Creek Road and Colby Lake Drive

Valley Creek Road and Woodbury Drive (County Road 19)

Woodbury Drive and Fox Run Road/Wynstone Drive

Planned locations

Washington County also has four locations in Woodbury that are planned to have flashing yellow arrows added by the end of 2013.

Radio Drive (County Road 13) and Hargis Parkway (currently under construction)

Bailey Road (County Road 18) and Woodlane Drive (currently under construction)

Woodbury Drive and Park Crossing/Eagle Valley Drive (currently under construction)

Woodbury Drive and Tamarack Road (retrofit scheduled within the next 1-2 months)


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