Tasked with managing vehicles coming from and going to the I-95 exit ramps, shoppers taking advantage of the bustling commercial district surrounding the Oxford Valley Mall and families making their way to Sesame Place, it does not take a major traffic study to know that traffic on Business Route 1 (Lincoln Highway) is bad. However, the results of a recent study that confirmed one of Middletown’s major travel veins is a critical corridor with more than 10,000 vehicles daily has provided the township an opportunity to ease the frustration as non-invasively as possible.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal Tuesday evening to apply for a PennDOT grant to upgrade 12 traffic lights along the Lincoln Highway corridor, starting at the I-95 ramps to the south and ending at Oxford Valley Road.
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If accepted, the township will use funds from PennDOT’s Green Light-Go program to help pay for turning the traffic signals into an adaptive system, one that has the potential to significantly ease congestion along the heavily traveled roadway, according to traffic consultant Phil Wursta.
“Installing the system allows for greater control over the system,” said Wursta, project engineer for Traffic Planning and Design Inc. “It will improve traffic flow and reduce intersection delay without the need for major construction such as lane-widening.”
According to Wursta, an adaptive signal system will use traffic cameras to monitor flow and tap into the existing fiber optic lines to set up a communication system between the signals and the monitoring station. The result will create a more flexible design that will allow the lights to “talk” to each other and adjust signal timing based on real-time activity.
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The township will also gain the ability to tweak the system on an as-needed basis, such as detours or special events. Currently, the township needs additional programs and funds and someone onsite at the master controller to make adjustments.
Similar systems have been successfully installed in major corridors in Montgomery County, Plymouth Township and Bensalem, Wursta said. Warminster Township installed an adaptive system along a section of Street Road, but abandoned it over frustrations with the timing. Wursta says that Warminster used an early version of the technology and did not expand it widely enough to make a difference.
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“Warminster’s system was only a few lights,” said Wursta. “The Old Lincoln Highway project is an entire corridor. The improvements will be significant and noticeable.”
The upgrade to the adaptive system will also improve flow on Woodbourne Road for intersections at Route 213, Fourth St. and Old Lincoln Highway, Wursta said. The PennDOT grant requires the township to provide 50 percent of the project funds. Wursta estimates that making the equipment upgrades will cost approximately $500,000, with the township responsible for nearly $250,000. The application deadline is Feb. 27, and PennDOT will notify its approval in May. The grant lasts one year, giving Middletown 12 months to allocate the funds to pay for the project.
“This project is consistent with the mission of the board to improve Middletown’s infrastructure,” said board Chairperson Pat Mallon.
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The board also approved efforts to reach out to officials in neighboring Falls Township and Morrisville to explore ways to expand the adaptive system further down the road.
