Bridgeville motorists might notice traffic moving a little differently at two of the community’s busiest intersections this month.
Traffic experts are testing new traffic signals where Washington Avenue meet Bower Hill Road and where Washington Avenue meets Station Street.
The adaptive lights use cameras to detect not just traffic volume, but traffic movement, and they share that information with a wide network of traffic signals—including lights in South Fayette—and continually learn based on new shared data.
Initially, some drivers waiting at red lights may think that they have been skipped in the signal’s rotation, according to a Bridgeville police Facebook post. But the new lights aren’t locked into a pre-set rotation. Rather, the aim is to move the cars that have been waiting the longest.
The police department’s post also said that the cameras do not save or store traffic images. However, the cameras can be monitored in real time.
Bridgeville is expected to install a third light later this year at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Prestley Road. The three adaptive signals cost a total of $266,000, with Bridgeville footing $53,000 of that, and the rest coming from a state grant.
Here’s the entire Q&A via the BVPD Facebook page: