Signal Upgrades To Help Improve Traffic Flow In Alpharetta

ALPHARETTA, GA — The arrival of the New Year saw Alpharetta embarking on its latest project to improve traffic flow throughout the community. Earlier this month, crews began upgrading traffic signals with some of the latest technology that will allow the city to adapt the timing of its traffic signals in real-time to changing patterns and volumes.

During the first week of the project, the city upgraded signals at 21 intersections to the new technology. City engineers anticipate that all of Alpharetta’s 126 traffic signals will be upgraded by the end of March, at which time they will begin the process of finalizing the base timing for the signal network.

As crews install the new equipment at each intersection, the traffic signals at the intersection will be placed in “flash mode” and a police officer will be directing traffic. Motorists should approach these intersections with caution and are reminded that, if a police officer is not directing traffic, a traffic signal flashing red should be treated like a stop sign.

Alpharetta Mayor Pro Tem Chris Owens said the upgrade will have a "significant impact" on residents and motorists. The city's current systems work off fixed timing that cover typical traffic patterns for morning, daytime and evenings. On the downside, the city notes the system doesn't easily allow engineers to adjust and change the programming when situations such as accidents, special events or other things that force motorists to change travel routes to avoid hot spots.

"When the project is completed this summer, the new technology will allow our signals to self-adjust based upon traffic volumes," he added.

According to Owens, a City Council member and civil engineer who also serves as the liaison to the city’s public works department, even minor traffic accidents currently can create major congestion at key intersections and send ripples through Alpharetta’s streets and roads. As drivers increasingly turn to mobile apps like Waze to learn about and avoid trouble spots during their commutes, traffic patterns have become less predictable and traffic choke points constantly move during peak commuting times.

“Today, the only real way to be proactive in managing the flow of traffic is to be more responsive to what the majority of drivers are doing at any given moment,” Owens added.

The equipment being installed across Alpharetta this year will also help to improve the city’s ability to know how motorists are driving through its intersections.

Engineers currently rely on detectors embedded in the road at intersections to provide information about the number and movement of vehicles at that location and trigger their signal timing programs. Being mechanical systems, however, those detectors break causing the timing of signals they control to be out of sync. With more than 126 traffic signals in Alpharetta, days can pass before the problem is identified and fixed.

The technology now being installed by the city will immediately alert traffic engineers to a problem with the vehicle detectors at an intersection so that repairs can be quickly made. The systems will also alert engineers to malfunctioning signals and pedestrian crossing equipment.

Alpharetta has partnered with the Georgia Department of Transportation to complete the traffic signal upgrades, and officials are quick to express appreciation to GDOT leaders and Senator Brandon Beach for supporting the effort. GDOT is fully funding the cost of the equipment.

While the technology upgrades are expected to noticeably improve traffic flow in the city, Owens stresses that it is not the only effort the city is making to address residents’ top concern.

“There is no silver bullet that will eliminate traffic congestion in Alpharetta,” the city councilman added. “Significant change will come only through a combination of operational changes and improvements to the road network. That is why, in addition to these improvements to our traffic signals, the city of Alpharetta is also making physical improvements to key roadways like Rucker Road, Webb Bridge Road, Kimball Bridge Road and Windward Parkway. We have also set aside funding to partner with the Georgia Department of Transportation to expand Old Milton Parkway and add much needed capacity to that State highway.”

Alpharetta currently has more than $80 million earmarked for such improvements to its roadways; according to Owens more money than at any other moment in the city’s history. Still, city officials are pursuing additional funds and partnerships with state and federal agencies and organizations like the North Fulton Community Improvement District to focus even more resources on making traffic improvements that benefit residents and visitors.

“Over the past two years we have been planning and designing key projects that will bring relief to our residents’ daily commute,” Owens added. “Starting this year construction will begin on many of those, and residents will begin seeing their benefits over the next two to five years."

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