Smoother Sailing Along Busy Woodbury Roads

Woodbury motorists should already be noticing some significant changes in their driving times along both Radio Drive and Valley Creek Road, courtesy of a new coordinated traffic signal control system recently installed at the intersection of these two well-traveled roadways.

The coordinated system means that the timing of green lights should occur in a sequential order, when possible, resulting in a smoother flow of traffic along the country roads.  For drivers, this translates into an easier ride with fewer stops.  Plans call for the system to be integrated with signal timing systems to the north and west of the general area in an attempt to enhance traffic progression whenever possible.

Along Radio Drive, the new system is operational from Afton Road/Pioneer Drive all the way to City Centre Drive.  Traveling along Valley Creek Road, it is the span from Radio Drive to Colby Lake Drive which will also experience the changes.

Prior to the implementation of the new traffic control system, county crews spent several weeks collecting data on these traffic areas and considering the best timing programs for mornings, evenings, weekends and off-peak times.  Part of the study included using computerized traffic engineering programs to replicate the flow of traffic along Radio Drive and Valley Creek Road in order to determine the most efficient signal timing for these two corridors.

Joe Gustafson, traffic engineer for Washington County, said another feature of the signal control system will be its ability to monitor and respond to changes in traffic demands.

"The control system will be able to automatically respond to changes caused by weather, holidays, etc.," he said. "When it senses less traffic, it will switch to a timing plan that best matches those traffic conditions."

Right now, the new traffic signal timing changes on a predetermined time schedule throughout the day. To test its effectiveness, Gustafson said  county engineers recently spent "about 13 hours" traveling up and down the roads in order to make the necessary changes that would ensure the new system was working efficiently.

Traffic pattern changes as well as increases in the volume of vehicles using the intersection of Radio Drive and Valley Creek Road led to the implementation of the new system, as the previous signal coordination system had started to become less efficient and required more frequent updating to the timings.

Drivers who find themselves stopped at side streets or looking to turn left on county roads might notice their waiting times will increase slightly, rather than decrease.  However, since there will be a general improvement in travel along the county roads, the goal remains an overall reduction in travel time.  Additionally, there will be some changes made in the coming months to pedestrian crosswalks to accommodate the new traffic timing system.

Not only will the new signal system be a boost to driving times, it is projected to have a positive environmental impact.  With the reduction of stops and fewer idling vehicles, it is estimated that tens of thousands of gallons of fuel will be saved per year, based on the findings produced by similar timing projects.  Benefit-to-cost ratios have amounted to close to $40 of savings to the general public for every dollar spent to complete those projects.

Since this Radio Drive/Valley Creek  intersection project -- which cost approximately $31,000-- is slated to save fuel and energy by the reduction of traffic delay times, it is being funded by Washington County from the U.S. Department of Energy under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  This is the third of four traffic signal system projects that the County has completed under this particular funding program, which is slated in expire this fall.