By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
A $202,475 signal project is aimed at improving traffic flow along a well-traveled Yukon commercial corridor.
The Yukon City Council has approved an amended maintenance agreement for traffic signal improvements, coordination and remote 24/7 monitoring on Garth Brooks Boulevard from N.W. 10th to Vandament.
“Traffic will flow better and, yes, this will help inter-connect two or three signals together, so you do flow,” said City Engineer Robbie Williams of Triad Design Group.
“You will see traffic improvement.”
The traffic signal work at eight intersections will be done by The Tulsa company SignalTek, Inc. and Traffic Engineering Consultants at a cost of $202,475 for one year of service.
The traffic signals are at these Garth Brooks Boulevard intersections: N.W. 10th, Target Drive, Health Center Parkway, Interstate 40 (eastbound and westbound), Andrew Drive, Walmart Drive, and Vandament Avenue.
WORK TO BE DONE
“We’re going to install flashing yellow left-turn lights at the intersections,” Williams told council members. “Every intersection has a cabinet with a controller. We’re going to update our cabinets and our controllers with the latest technology.”
Upgrades to the eight busy intersections will feature the removal of existing traffic signal equipment, installation of new traffic signal controllers and development and implementation of coordination plans.
The project will allow SignalTek and Traffic Engineering Consultants to see real-time data, Williams explained.
“From their office, they can monitor and tweak the system,” the city engineer shared. “Once they get everything installed, as they see the traffic and everything going, then they can tweak it.
“Then they also can fix it for weekends, in the morning and at night, to let traffic flow a little bit more.”
Several years ago, the City of Yukon authorized a study along Garth Brooks Boulevard that identified 13 projects that should be done over the next 25 years, according to Williams.
This traffic signal upgrade is one of those recommended projects.
