Rowlett improves traffic signalization on Rowlett Road so that drivers don’t have to stop

by PegNews wire

Allowing drivers to go from Point A to Point B without stops at every intersection.

ROWLETT — Driving the length of Rowlett Road has recently become easier and quicker for motorists with the implementation of new signal timing improvements made possible with a grant from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). The NCTCOG grant, estimated at $36,000, was part of the Thoroughfare Assessment Program (TAP) and is managed by NCTCOG.

"Now, when driving the speed limit on Rowlett Road, motorists should be able to 'catch' a green light at all intersections of Rowlett Road from one end to the other during daytime hours," said Shawn Poe, Assistant Public Works Director and City Engineer. "We hope the difference is noticeable and that drivers are able to get from point A to point B without having to stop at every intersection."

The only intersection on Rowlett Road that is not coordinated with the timing program is SH 66 and Rowlett Road. The Texas Department of Transportation controls that intersection.

The new timing schedule is active between the hours of 6:15 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. During the nighttime hours, from 7 p.m. to 6:15 a.m., the signal lights are programmed to operate in a "free condition" meaning that signals will give green time to the direction of travel where the traffic is occurring. That means when a vehicle approaches a red light and no other traffic exists in the other directions, then the signal will turn green for that vehicle.

To establish this new system, traffic counts were obtained for the traffic along Rowlett Road, including the turning movements from the side streets intersecting Rowlett Road. Based on the data collected on current traffic patterns, a traffic signal timing plan was developed to move traffic along Rowlett Road more efficiently during the peak times.

The signal timings were then adjusted to provide for optimum flow of the traffic volumes on the Rowlett Road corridor during the peak times in an effort to decrease the delay experienced by motorists along Rowlett Road. Motorists may experience a slight delay along the side streets at the traffic signals to facilitate the Rowlett Road signal-timing plan but this delay will be more than made up after turning onto Rowlett Road.

Source: City of Rowlett