Traffic is expected to be flowing more safely near a major Fox Chapel traffic intersection.
A $300,000 project to modernize the traffic signals at Fox Chapel and Field Club roads wrapped up in December, following several months of work.
The equipment replaces original signals that were obsolete, borough Manager Julie Bastianini said. The previous equipment was installed in 1970.
“The new equipment is LED so it is more energy efficient, but, perhaps most importantly, it has fire and EMS preemption,” she said.
The feature allows emergency response vehicles a green light as they approach to reduce response time. Opposing traffic is stopped with a red light.
The preemption is standard in newer signals.
Bastianini said project costs were paid for with state liquid fuels money.
A highlight of the new intersection is that it will accommodate pedestrians and bikers, though infrastructure remains to be installed.
The borough is planning walkways near the borough building and library as part of its 10-year plan. The path would eventually connect with the high school, which sits further up Field Club Road.
Most noticeable is the appearance of the intersection, which has drastically changed with the installation of poles and a mast arm.
“The old one had the traffic signal hanging on wires over the intersection,” Bastianini said.
Work to upgrade the intersection began in late summer and ran into a slight hiccup when one of the poles was delivered with a manufacturing defect and had to be rebuilt before the project could proceed.