High Point conducting traffic light study

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — For many drivers on the road, the flow of traffic and traffic lights can really make or break a commute.

The City of High Point is now gearing up to take a closer look at its traffic lights. They want to see if and where improvements can be made to the timing of the traffic lights.

“Speed them up just a little bit to help them out. The lights would be fine if you could speed them up,” said LT Gibson, a High Point resident.

Gibson has lived in High Point for more than 50 years. He said he’s noticed a significant difference in the flow of traffic in different areas around the city in recent years

The goal of the High Point Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the High Point Department of Transportation is to study the city’s 239 traffic signals, mitigate congestion and improve air quality.

Areas considered priorities in the study are North Main Street, South Main Street, Eastchester Drive, Westchester Drive and Wendover Avenue.

“The consultants on board … have their scope of work, so they know … what the plan of attack will be to go out, and their first step will get traffic counts,” High Point Transportation Director Greg Venable said.

Consultants will start work for the traffic study in a week. Initially, the city planned for the study to start in May.

The delay stemmed from trying to get a consultant on board. The study is starting nearly four months later than planned, and Venable said the delay is working in the study’s favor.

“You want to make sure school is in session. So this is really the optimal time to start the study. That way they can go out and get the traffic counts. You have the highest volumes of traffic right now with school in place, so it worked out,” Venable said.

Venable said that while the city’s transportation department frequently monitors the timing of traffic lights, the last official traffic light study was conducted in 2014.

Adjustments could be made to traffic lights as the new study is conducted.

“You’re not going to see a wholesale change from … one day to the next … It may be small progression,” Venable said.

This study is expected to be a two-year process.

The timeline depends on how fast the consultant evaluates the intersections in those corridors. The study results will then be presented to the city council.

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