Work Advances on Updated Traffic Signals for Downtown Troy

Author: Tom Caprood
Date: 4/15/09
Source: The Record

TROY — Road work has begun to replace the city’s outdated traffic management system with state-of-the-art technology.

Street corners at various intersections were dug up over the last week by crews of Creighton Manning Engineering and Stilsing Electric, a Rensselaer-based contractor, that is working to replace 18 1970s era traffic lights in the downtown business district as part of the city’s traffic signalization project.

The $3 million project, which will include programmable lights that can be controlled from a central location, was first announced in 2007. After initial delays, preliminary construction on the project began approximately two weeks ago.

Vic Pietruccia, the site supervisor and a resident engineer with Creighton Manning, said that crews were working to install foundations for the traffic lights as wells as some of the underground conduit necessary for them to operate.

“There probably will be about the same type of activity until the end of the month and in the first part of May we’ll probably have another contractor come in and start doing some curb and sidewalk work,” said Pietruccia.

Existing traffic lights will be replaced with highly-visible Light Emitting Diodes, LEDs, to improve signal brightness while reducing electricity usage and will be hung from ornamental traffic poles to better fit with the historic architecture found downtown. The switch is also expected to bring the city into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additionally, the new lights will be compatible with traffic cameras and will be programmable by computer so that lights which change from green to red during the day could blink during the overnight and early-morning hours.

“We are very excited that this project, which will provide a dramatic change to the downtown landscape, is underway,” said Mayor Harry Tutunjian. “We ask for patience from everyone this summer while the construction is ongoing and look forward to the finished product.”

Despite the city’s notably aged underground electrical system, Pietruccia did not estimate any immediate problems with the project.

“Every time we dig we see something new,” said Pietruccia. “We work around it and things are just slow going until we find out what’s actually in there - it’s the same with any city.”

Funding for the signal upgrade is being split between federal and local sources. Under the current project plan, the Federal Highway Administration will pick up 80 percent of the $3 million cost, the state DOT will contribute 15 percent, and the city itself will be responsible for the remaining 5 percent.

The project is expected to be completed by late summer.