County upgrades traffic lights

Monmouth County officials are hopeful that a countywide traffic signal upgrade project will help traffic on county roads run more efficiently.

County Engineer Joseph Ettore explained the scope of the project in an interview last week.

“The base of the project is to modernize antiquated traffic signals throughout Monmouth County,” he said. “Many of them were built in the ’60s and ’70s, [and] much of that equipment is out of date.

“The old incandescent lamps are being swapped out with new LEDs,” he added. “Some of the locations are being improved with new controllers that have battery backup.”

Ettore said the county operates about 250 lights, and some lights with sensors would be switched to video detection, which is more efficient.

At the Nov. 22 freeholders meeting, a resolution was approved adding $68,000 to a $3.1 million contract with Solar-Mite Electrical Contractors to upgrade traffic lights throughout the county. The freeholders approved the original contract with Solar-Mite in 2010.

The project, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and administered by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, will update 40 traffic signals.

County spokeswoman Laura Kirkpatrick said in an interview that the ARRA funding is dedicated to shovel-ready projects, including the traffic light upgrades.

“The resolution covers a contract with Solar-Mite, which is doing numerous lights and intersections in several municipalities throughout the county,” she said. “The county has a long-term project to upgrade its traffic signals, and using the ARRA funding we are able to move forward with replacing the traffic signals with LED lights.”

Kirkpatrick said that switching to LED traffic lights would provide the county with savings, although she was not entirely sure how much savings.

She also said that the long-term plan is to upgrade all the county lights, but there is not enough ARRA funding to do that.

When the county takes on a project in a municipality, it is usually done in conjunction with the municipality.

“The county usually works hand in hand with the city to let them know we are going to be upgrading this intersection,” Kirkpatrick said. “We have to coordinate the work in the town, so the county engineers office would reach out to the town.”

Municipalities that are slated to have traffic signals improved include Red Bank, Tinton Falls, Middletown, Shrewsbury Borough, West Long Branch, Eatontown, Little Silver, Matawan and Ocean Township.

The county is also using a $1.1 million Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant administered by the U. S. Department of Energy to equip 65 traffic signals with LED lightbulbs and to replace flashing traffic signals near schools.

Municipalities scheduled to receive the replacement LED lights include Eatontown, Holmdel, Keyport, Little Silver, Long Branch, Middletown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport.

Flasher replacements will be installed on roads near the Meadowbrook School in Eatontown, the Village School in Holmdel and the Mahala F. Atchison School in Tinton Falls and 15 other signals on roadways near schools.

Contact Kenny Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com.