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Getting our traffic signals light in sync

The city is testing the light synchronization on a section of Staples Street.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Staples Street between McArdle and Holly is where the traffic signal lights are now synchronized. It is part of a city test to see if it can get all of the lights to turn green as you drive down the roadway, instead of having to stop at every other light.  

The Assistant Public Works Director for Traffic, Renee Coutre told 3NEWS that the city is looking to expand the program. 

”We have a test corridor that we’re working on Staples Street but we don’t formally have a system, systematic programming for synchronization, but that’s something we’re working on," Coutre said.

Inside the City’s Traffic Operations Center, the city has employees watching monitors of about half of its 254 intersections outfitted with traffic signal lights. The workers train their eyes on those live camera views in case they need to remotely change the lights to get traffic going. 

The ultimate goal is to synchronize the traffic signal lights. 

”We’re developing costs for equipment and software that we will need to get some of our busier intersections and corridors you know synchronized,” Coutre said. 

Councilman Roland Barrera is all in favor of the city finally getting some of its busiest streets lined with green signal lights as hundreds of cars head to or from work. 

”We are issuing an RFP for a consultant so we can recognize which are the most important intersections that we need to work on, so that way we can make that happen,” Barrera said.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization said it has $4 million in federal funding available to the city to help with the traffic signal synchronization project. The city could see the synchronization program in place by the end of this year.

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