By Greg Forester, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — With the bridge carrying Old Trenton Road over Big Bear Brook closed for repairs until May, Mercer County officials were presented with an opportunity to use one of the latest additions to their arsenal of high tech transportation equipment.
That equipment — now in use in West Windsor at the intersection of Southfield Road and New Village Road — is a trio of solar-powered traffic signals that unfold from portable trailers and can be towed to any roadway in Mercer County.
The West Windsor intersection is the first in Mercer County to have the benefit of the equipment.
All three trailers are located there, providing six traffic signals, and powered by batteries charged by solar panels. Each trailer can be folded up for transport to an intersection and then unfolded, “like an erector set,” according to Mercer County spokesman Pete Daly.
When unfolded, a 17-foot metal arm allows the traffic signals to dangle over the roadway, while another arm holds the solar array.
Purchased late in 2007, the equipment allows the county to better control traffic at intersections that normally don’t need permanent traffic signals, but get inundated by traffic during construction detours or emergencies.
The intersection has experienced increased traffic because of the nearby closure of Old Trenton Road. The temporary signals direct motorists through detours between New Village Road and Route 571.
The $126,768 in traffic equipment gives the county the ability to put traffic signals at any intersection without the need for actually constructing permanent signals or having officers direct traffic.
”We have been pleased with how it has performed so far,” said Mr. Daly. “It is the perfect project to try it the first time, because fortunately the traffic has not been very congested. They have performed up to our expectations.”
Local police get to save valuable manpower, because they don’t need to put police out at intersections to manually direct traffic, according to West Windsor Lt. Pat McCormick.
He said the police also appreciate the county help because of the cost associated with the equipment.
”It would be too costly for us,” said Lt. McCormick. “Normally we would have posted a few officers there.”
The traffic signals currently are emitting a blinking-yellow signal to assist with congestion, but each trailer has controls that allow for numerous settings.
”It’s a fully-functional traffic light. It can be set to whatever setting needed,” said Mr. Daly. “It’s flashing yellow because the traffic has not been that intense at that intersection.”
The inauguration of the signals comes only about three months after they were purchased from the Garden State Highway company.
Mercer County transportation officials had heard that other New Jersey county governments had purchased similar equipment and that the reviews were good. So they moved to make the purchase last year.
”We will get a lot of use out of them,” said Mr. Daly. “The DOT is constantly repairing bridges and roadways.”
Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh — who travels through the detour area frequently — said he appreciated the benefit of having the solar-powered signals there. But that doesn’t mean he wants to purchase a set for the township.
”The township can’t afford to do that,” Mayor Hsueh said.
