Traffic signal upgrades would provide brighter light, back up power
Traffic signals in Libertyville and Buffalo Grove will be upgraded with brighter, more energy-efficient lighting and backup power to weather short-term power outages.
Countdown pedestrian signals also are part of a broader Illinois Department of Transportation work program.
The agency is upgrading traffic signals on state highways with light-emitting-diode bulbs to complete the transformation from the old-style incandescent bulbs. The LED lights consume less energy, last longer and more visible, according to IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell.
Battery backup is included to allow the signals to operate during temporary, short-term power outages and keep traffic moving, the agency said.
“You need the LED in order to run the battery backup,” said Jon Nelson, engineer of traffic for the Lake County Division of Transportation. Without it, the signals go dark in the event of an outage, he added.
The Lake County Board today will vote on an agreement with IDOT to pay $25,000 as its share to upgrade 13 signals in Libertyville and Buffalo Grove. A synopsis of the agreement on the county board agenda says the work is in response to the 2011 summer storms, which caused widespread and lengthy power outages.
Nelson said the batteries will allow signals to operate normally for four hours before flashing red for another six hours. Typical bulbs use 135 watts of power compared with 10 watts for the LEDs, according to Nelson.
“Now, I can run the whole intersection using batteries,” he added. Lake County has been installing LED lights in five to 10 signals per year for the past five years.
Replacing the signals is part of a statewide initiative that began last year downstate, Tridgell said. Contracts currently are out for improvements in McHenry and Kane counties. Signals on state routes in Lake County are scheduled for a contract letting in June. Work in DuPage, Will and suburban Cook counties will follow. About 200 locations in Cook and the collar counties already have been upgraded, Tridgell said, but more than 1,000 intersections remain eligible for improvements.
The goal is a 5 percent local contribution for each project, he added.
Libertyville trustees recently approved an agreement with IDOT to improve 19 signals. The village’s share of the $518,000 project was about $22,000.
“One of the biggest benefits is the countdown pedestrian timers,” said John Heinz, the village’s public works director.
Rather than showing a red or green hand, those signals show pedestrians how many seconds there are before the signal turns yellow.