WEYBURN – Two new sets of smart traffic lights will be installed at two key intersections in the city of Weyburn, the first one this year at the corner of Government Road and First Avenue, after receiving approval from Weyburn city council on Monday evening.
The second location for the lights will be at 16th Street and First Avenue, which is currently controlled by a four-way stop.
The two sets of new traffic signals will be housed with camera detection, which will should help reduce pavement damages with the stops and starts normally seen at both of these intersections, and will help preserve the new pavement that will be on the way for First Avenue this year.
A traffic study also determined that traffic lights would help traffic flow much better than the four-way stop signs do.
The budget for the traffic light replacements is $350,000, and after the request for proposals, the bid by Can-Traffic Services was accepted in the amount of $205,465 for the Government Road-First Avenue intersection.
The City will pre-purchase the light controllers, traffic signal poles, anchor bolts, arms and signal light heads directly from the supplier at an estimated cost of $72,000 for each set.
The work being tendered is for the installation of the traffic lighs, including replacing the underground power supply and setting new foundations for the poles and traffic controller cabinet.
The City applied for funding through the SGI Provincial Traffic Safety Fund for the maximum allowable amount of $100,000 for the location at 16th Street and First Avenue, and those grants will not be awarded until June 30.
The contract to install those lights will be awarded after the announcement about the grant funding, said city engineer Jennifer Wilkinson.
She added that if the City does not receive this grant, then the future of this project will be determined later.
Wilkinson noted the cameras for each location will allow for light changes based on traffic, such as in the middle of the night if there is no traffic and a vehicle approaches a red light at the intersection.
• In other council business, council approved the purchase of two trailer-mounted message boards to assist with traffic control and construction zone safety.
Public Works employees are often at risk, and have been seeing more close calls when dealing with traffic while working on the streets.
The message boards can warn motorists about road work, but can also be used in emergency situations, such as in times of flooding where roads may need to be closed.
There were seven bids submitted, and the winning bid was awarded to ATS Traffic, in the amount of $41,829 for the two boards.
