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Five new downtown signals in Valparaiso, Ind., will improve traffic flow
VALPARAISO, Nov 22, 2009 (The Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The city is getting five new traffic signals next year for the downtown that will do a lot more than just improve the flow of traffic. Residents can expect enhanced safety and a stronger Wi-Fi signal with the new equipment.
Engineering Director Tim Burkman said final plans for the signals will be submitted to the Indiana Department of Transportation next month, and the bids are expected to be opened by the state in March. Installation should begin a month or so after.
Two of the signals will be placed on Indiana Avenue at Washington Street and Franklin Street, two on Jefferson Street at Washington and Franklin, and one at Chicago Street at Franklin. They will have decorative poles to match those installed on Lincolnway as part of the downtown streetscape improvements and will be accompanied by the same type of illuminated street signs.
The signal poles will have call buttons people can push in an emergency. The buttons send a signal directly to the 911 dispatch center. To discourage pranksters from pushing the buttons and fleeing, cameras also will be installed to record what's going on in the area.
One of the signals will have a weather station that will provide the city's Public Works Department with real-time information on the pavement temperature. It will tell the department when icing conditions are beginning, aiding salt deployment.
All that technology will be routed through a broadband Wi-Fi system that also will boost the overall downtown Wi-Fi signal. Burkman said the priority for use of the Wi-Fi signal will go to the emergency calls and the video, but the rest will be available to boost the downtown's wireless signal.
The traffic signals also will have a wireless interconnection so they can communicate with each other and with the signals on Lincolnway to improve traffic flow.
Total cost of the project is expected to be $687,500, and the city has a federal grant to pay for 80 percent of it. The rest, about $137,000, will be funded by the city's Redevelopment Commission.
To see more of The Times, Munster, Ind., or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.nwitimes.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Times, Munster, Ind.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email
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