64% Of City Traffic Signals In Poor Condition

Monday July 29th, 2019, 3:41pm

Hello time traveller!!
This article is 1737 days old.
The information listed below is likely outdated and has been preserved for archival purposes.

More then half of the traffic signals in the City of Windsor are listed in poor condition according to the city’s recently completed Asset Management Plan.

The plan, which goes to the Corporate Services Standing Committee of Council Monday evening says that 64% of city intersections — 184 intersections — are in poor condition and it would take $14 million to bring them up to date.

To compare in 2013, 33% of the signals were in poor condition.

Currently the city spends $891,667 a year on traffic signals, with $416,667 being allocated to address existing systems and $475,000 for service enhancements to existing signals when replaced and or for additional signalized intersections.

The average cost to replace a signalized intersection is approximately $77,000, and with $416,667 in annual funding, the report says this means that six units could be replaced each year.

“A very simple view would mean it would take approximately 30 years to replace the 184 intersections currently in poor condition based on existing funding levels,” the report notes. “This does not consider the fact that those intersections in fair condition will age and become poor, nor does it consider that the average cost of $77,000 is likely to go up due to inflation over that time.”

As part of the Asset Management Plan, City Administration recommends funding for traffic signals be increased.

“As these assets are vital to traffic flow and if they reach the point of failure would require immediate replacement it was deemed necessary to consider increased funding for the replacement of these assets to mitigate the risk of failure and unplanned expenditures,” the plan points out.

“Based on the deterioration of these assets over the next 20 years an average allocation of $2M per year would be more appropriate to address these assets ensuring their viability over the next 20 years. The current funding projected for the next 7 years is an average annual amount of $1,116,285, creating an annual shortfall of $1,883,719.”