Phase 2 of Alameda signal project starts Monday

Adaptive lights along Coors-Cottonwood stretch should be up in 6 weeks

A Bernalillo County contractor is scheduled to begin the second phase of the Alameda Boulevard adaptive signal project on Monday, and when it’s complete, the county expects a 20 percent reduction in travel time through the area.

Phase 2 involves the installation of four adaptive signals on Alameda between Coors Boulevard and Cottonwood Drive and is needed because traffic is backing up along Alameda between Loretta Drive and Coors Road intersections, according to a county news release.

Contractor MWI Inc. plans to complete the project in six weeks, said Bernalillo County spokeswoman Catherine Lopez.

Adaptive traffic control signal systems adjust signal timing based on traffic conditions, alleviating backups as they occur. The system is able to modify such things as cycle lengths and phase sequence in response to fluctuations in traffic conditions.

The first phase of the project was completed in the fall of 2013 and involved the installation of seven adaptive signals along Alameda between Second Street and Loretta Drive.

Lopez said Phase 1 resulted in a 20 percent reduction in travel time through the area, and the county is anticipating a similar reduction in travel time once the second phase is completed.

“Approximately 44,000 vehicles cross the river on a daily basis making it the busiest point of the entire Alameda Boulevard stretch,” Commissioner Lonnie Talbert said in a news release. “The addition of four adaptive signal intersections to the existing system will extend the network across the river and relieve the current pinch points for commuters.”

The county says the installation work will have only a minimal impact on commuter traffic.

Lopez said the contractor plans to work on one signal at a time. She said work would only be done between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to avoid

the morning and evening rush hours. “Expect some delays and be patient,” Lopez said. MWI Inc. was the lowest bidder on the project. Most of the funding for the $376,000 project is coming from a Federal National Highway Preservation Program grant, with the state Department of Transportation kicking in some matching funds. “No county money is going into this,” Lopez said. According to an analysis released earlier this year by the MidRegion Metropolitan Planning Organization, Alameda from Coors Bypass to San Pedro is the most congested corridor in the metro area. The ranking is based on 2014 data — the most recent available — tracking peak hour traffic volume, average peak hour travel speed and crashes.