I know Ward 3 residents and other Strongsville residents continue to be frustrated with the 42/82 construction traffic. To respond to your questions, I reached out to both the Engineering Department and the Police Department to ask about the whether the lights at Royalton/Pearl and Westwood/Pearl can be better synced, whether officers are running the lights manually, and gridlocking. Here’s what I learned:
1. From Engineering: “[T]he lights are not properly ‘synced.’ Right now the intersection at 42/82 is running independently from the closed loop system of the surrounding signals. They cannot be truly ‘synced’ until the vehicle detectors are restored and operating, which will occur towards the end of the construction.”
2. Also from Engineering: “In addition, the[] sequencing of the 42/82 signal has been changed to protect left turns east and west from 42 to 82. This causes additional inefficiencies and delays, but it is for safety.”
3. From the Police: “[W]e have had and currently have officers posted daily, m-f, 3p to 7p, to operate the traffic signals at Pearl & Royalton and Westwood & Pearl.”
4. Also from the Police: “Additionally, officers have been monitoring the traffic flow during the off times and have operated the light manually.”
5. On gridlocking: “Enforcement options for blocking the intersection are not feasible at this time. Making a traffic stop in or near this area would make the current problem worse. We will continue our efforts in reminding the motoring public ‘not to block’ the intersections through our social media platforms.”
Until this project wraps up, I’ll be budgeting more time to get through that part of town. Thank you for your understanding and patience.
ETA: Albion is open as of 2:15 pm today, 10/25.
Kelly Kosek for Strongsville Council 