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Uploaded: Tuesday, February 26, 2013, 9:06 AM
Menlo Park: El Camino traffic lights synchronized again
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by Sandy Brundage
Almanac Staff
Good news at last: The traffic lights along El Camino Real in Menlo Park are back in sync.
"The signals are almost completely back online for the adaptive system," said Chip Taylor, the city's public works director. "There are a few more items to work out, which should be corrected over the next few weeks. It is flowing much better."
Caltrans confirmed the repairs are just about done. "The contractor should be finished connecting everything by next week if nothing prevents them from finishing," said agency spokeswoman Gidget Navarro on Friday, Feb. 22.
The traffic snarls began five months ago when a crew working repaving portions of El Camino Real near Santa Cruz Avenue accidentally cut the electrical lines powering the signal synchronization system in October.
Caltrans initially projected that the lights would be back to normal by mid-November. Freezing weather delayed the project's completion, according to agency representatives.
After restriping the road, work crews had to reconnect the 16 traffic-sensing control loops on each side of El Camino Real to allow the system to start adapting signal timing to the amount of traffic flow again.
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Posted by Arthur , a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Feb 26, 2013 at 3:58 pm Three month delay due to "Freezing weather"...really?...:).
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Posted by Sybille, a resident of the Menlo Park: Fair Oaks neighborhood, on Feb 27, 2013 at 9:31 am It's about time! (And I am "only" a bicyclist.)
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Posted by new guy, a resident of the Menlo Park: Downtown neighborhood, on Feb 28, 2013 at 11:15 am I am not noticing any difference yet, other than a long back up at the alma light in PA.
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Posted by my experience, a resident of the Menlo Park: Linfield Oaks neighborhood, on Mar 1, 2013 at 8:39 am I generally avoid El Camino because it's so miserable. But last night at 9 pm -- with traffic pretty light -- decided to check out the newly synchronized lights on a trip back from Palo Alto. Shock and wonder: every single light turned red just before I arrived. I trip that should have taken about 90 seconds took five minutes. Plus ça change...
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Posted by Donald, a resident of another community, on Mar 1, 2013 at 2:04 pm Boulder, Colorado has lights that will turn red for speeders or stay green for law-obeying drivers.
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Posted by Menlo Voter, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on Mar 1, 2013 at 7:07 pm Donald:
traffic is lighter in Boulder.
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