GALLIPOLIS — Motorists traveling in and around Gallipolis throughout the week may have noticed workers installing or removing cables from across various points on Gallia County’s roadways.
These cables, or traffic counters, are a portable method used to collect traffic data.
The traffic counters, which consist of two cables that cross the road horizontally, are just a portion of a complete traffic study being conducted by the City of Gallipolis in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
According to Gallipolis City Manager Randy Finney, the study is being completed on all traffic signals on state routes within the city, and the 24-hour mechanical count data collected last week will aid in the project’s end result of improving the flow of traffic through Gallipolis.
The project, which is being provided through an ODOT grant at no charge to the city, according to Finney, will be completed by crews from TEC Engineering of Mason, Ohio.
David Rose, a spokesperson for ODOT, stated that the study will involve reviewing and updating the timing of the traffic signals in the city and will ultimately look at ways to enhance traffic flow, reduce congestion and, thereby, improve safety in and around the city.
Traffic signals involved in the study are those at intersections along state routes within the City of Gallipolis. They include the portion of Ohio 7 that travels through Gallipolis, the intersections on Ohio 160 at Third and Fourth Avenues, and the intersections of Ohio 588 and Third and Fourth Avenues.
According to data provided by Rose, average daily traffic (ADT) volumes along the portion of Ohio 7 that travels through Gallipolis vary from 9,000 to 13,000 vehicles per day in signalized sections.
Ohio 160, a roadway that connects the Spring Valley area to the city, carries almost 10,000 vehicles per day.
The intersections at Ohio 588 and Third and Fourth Avenues are also a concern for the city, according to Rose, due to the location of Gallia Academy Middle School at Ohio 588 and Fourth Avenue. The ADT at that intersection is 2,420 vehicles per day.
According to Finney, the first portion of the study will involve the completion of travel time studies that will be used to establish baseline data later used to measure the impacts of the completed changes.
The traffic signals and their timing will then be measured, along with a traffic count that will allow signals to be set based upon peak and non-peak times of traffic.
Following this, a new timing configuration will be installed and a new travel time study will be conducted to compare to the original baseline.
Finney further reported that the project will not affect motorists’ traffic movements in the city and should provide a much-improved traffic flow through the city upon completion.
In addition, according to ODOT, the study will make the city compliant with new state and federal standards for updating clearance intervals, otherwise known as the timing of the red and yellow lights.
Any questions can be directed to the city manager’s office at (740) 446-1789(CITY).
The city manager also thanked ODOT for providing the service to the City of Gallipolis to “improve traffic flow and safety for all motorists.”
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