Lansdale traffic signal goes live
LANSDALE — Borough officials warned residents once more Wednesday night, and on Thursday afternoon it happened — Lansdale’s newest traffic signal is now lit up.
“They’re all under PennDOT’s permits — we have to get a permit from PennDOT to operate (signals), but PennDOT doesn’t own them, we actually own and will maintain it,” said borough Utilies Director Jake Ziegler.
Installed as part of the borough’s federally funded Wood-Vine connector route meant to divert traffic away from the intersection of Main and Broad streets, the signal at Main and Wood went into flashing mode just after 1 p.m. Thursday, showing a flashing yellow light to drivers on Main Street and a flashing red toward Wood after a few minutes showing green signals for traffic on Main and solid red to Wood.
After five days with that signal in flash mode, on July 22 the Main and Wood signal will be turned on and function as a fully operational signal, with the current light at Main and Susquehanna Avenue going into flash mode on that day. At that time, left turns from Susquehanna onto Main will be prohibited, and the portion of Wood Street between Main and Madison Street will go from one to two ways, according to Ziegler.
The exact time of that switchover
is still to be determined and will likely depend on when PennDOT and other personnel can arrive at the site and coordinate the signal timing.
“At the time that that happens, the entire route will be activated, including the stop signs com- ing down at Green Street” where it intersects with Vine Street, Borough Manager Timi Kirchner said.
The Wood signal will operate as normal with the Susquehanna signal flashing for roughly a month, until the latter is deactivated Aug. 21 and the current intersection at Susquehanna is converted into a pedestrian crosswalk. Sometime after the route is fully live, the borough will also likely host a formal completion ceremony, Kirchner announced during council’s Wednesday night meeting, before urging residents to try driving or walking the new route.
“If any of you have driven down that road, it’s beautiful, and we intend to have a celebration at some point,” she said.