U.S. 71 signal timing changes underway

■ Improvements include snychronizing all the lights through Bella Vista.

Following a traffic study performed by Oklahoma-based Traffic Engineering Consultants, the city implemented new signal timing plans Monday and updated the timing to reflect daylight saving time.

Chris Suneson, director of the Community Development Services Department, said there may be some fine tuning as late as March 15. Anyone who runs into traffic light troubles needs to call the city at 479-876-1255.

It’s important to note, he said, that Bella Vista is now responsible for the light at Benton County 40 and U.S. 71, and the city needs to be contacted if there are issues there.

These changes will not fix congestion issues on U.S. 71, he said, but should generate some incremental improvement.

“It’s not going to solve all of the problems out there,” he said. “The problem really is too much traffic … and too low capacity as far as how the lanes go.”

Suneson said that he expects to see longer lights for north-south traffic, but the timing should still allow people to move along side roads.

The firm, he said, also suggested some new hardware.

Synchronization, he said, will allow every traffic signal to automatically adjust for daylight saving time, and make it easier to maintain timing on each light.

“They won’t float out of time with each other, they will continue to be synchronized,” he said.

The synchronization devices, he said, will cost roughly $2,500, including installation, and should save the city money. Right now, he said, timing needs to be manually adjusted, which means the city needs to call a contractor if anything has to be changed.

This hardware has been ordered. Installation will be a later part of the project, according to a press release issued by the city.

“We really appreciate patience as we implement the new timing plans,” Suneson said.