Traffic tech

Aug. 30—Technology is helping make the city of Lebanon's traffic flow smoother.

The city received a grant through the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) that would allow Lebanon to computerize its traffic signals.

"Phase one is West Main Street and (Highway) 231 South," Rick Bell said. "What's been happening over the past several months is fiber optic cable has been put in to connect all those lights, and there's a control center. So, our technicians can be in that control center and can watch traffic throughout the city. During busier times and not-so-busier times, they can actually change the timing of the lights to make traffic flow better."

The multi-phase project will cost a total of $3.5 million and is 80% funded through federal funding. The other 20% is paid through local funds.

The traffic signals are timed differently throughout the day.

"During busier times, the lights function differently than they do in other times," Bell said. "But if something (timing-wise) has to be changed (right now), our technicians have to go to the light and change it in the box. This gives them the ability to change it from the control center."

Bell said that this is particularly useful if there's an accident, or if something happening on the interstate causes an influx of traffic. He said that the new technology is also useful for events like the Wilson County Fair-Tennessee State Fair, which results in a higher volume of traffic.

"This makes it easier and more instantaneous where lights can be changed," Bell said. "This is a big step up in technology. This will make things a lot easier. It's gonna make traffic flow better throughout the city. "

Next year, other major roads, such as the Baddour Parkway, East Main Street, (Highway) 231 North and Hartmann Drive will be included in phase two of the project.

"Once all the phases are complete," Bell said. "All of our major roads will have signals connected by fiber optic cables and the technicians in the control room."

With the first phase complete, Lebanon traffic engineer Kristin Rice said that the system is currently active and in use.

"This first phase also built our traffic management center (TMC), which is kind of the hub we've got for our software and our servers and our fiber," Rice said. "We've got eight closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. We put in aerial fiber between those signals to interconnect those and to bring the data back to public works."

Rice has been able to see the benefits of the new system since it became active.

"It helps us," Rice said. "It will give us alerts when something goes wrong at a signal, so our signal techs get those text messages through their phones. They immediately know that something's gone wrong at a signal before we get any kind of call."