Traffic signals getting makeovers
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on June 13, 2013 1:46 PM
New traffic signals are being installed at the intersection of Berkeley Boulevard and Cashwell Drive, causing the closure of some traffic lanes on both streets this week.
The new signals feature a flashing left turn arrow signaling drivers to yield to oncoming traffic before turning from Cashwell onto Berkeley as opposed to having to wait for a green light.
New signals also are being installed at Berkeley's intersection with U.S. 70, said Russell Broadwell, deputy traffic engineer for the state Department of Transportation.
"The heads corrode or get damaged over time and need to be replaced, and it's easier to go ahead and do it all at once," Broadwell said.
On Wednesday, a tractor-trailer struck one of the new signals when turning left off Cashwell onto Berkeley. Broadwell said DOT will check the height of the lights and the condition of the signal.
The city of Goldsboro maintains the signals, but DOT puts them in, Goldsboro Public Works Director Jose Martinez said.
Since the signals are still being installed, they are the responsibility of DOT, Martinez said.
"If the lights are hanging down and getting hit, that is a serious problem we need to call NCDOT about," he said.
If the lights were to sag later after being installed, city workers would likely be the ones fixing them, he added.
DOT also will make the same changes to the traffic signals at the on-ramp to U.S. 70 West.
Other crossing streets on Spence Avenue and Wayne Memorial Drive are also slated for the same improvements in the coming months.