Old/obsolete traffic signals -- and the cost to replace them

[txstateends]

http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/most-of-dallas-traffic-signals-are-obsolete-and-in-need-of-replacing-at-the-cost-of-200-million.html/

According to the article, 79% of the signals in Dallas are obsolete, and it would take almost $200 million to replace them all.  The city is upgrading the brains of the system, the core hardware, for just over $12 million; it still hasn't decided how to come up with the $$$$$$$$$$ to replace all those signals (which only seem to get attention now if they break, get hit by drivers, or wear out).

So, how are other spots faring when it comes to signal quality/condition/maintenance -- shiny & new, worn out, timing way off, no $$$, waiting for Santa?


ETA:::::::::  BTW (oops, forgot), the pic is at Inwood SB at the Dallas North Tollway/I-635 in north Dallas.  I didn't realize this light was in a broken/impacted state in recent weeks or months.

[hotdogPi]

Around here (northeast Massachusetts), signs are usually good (although occasionally misleading).

Also, the Clearview sign deserved the fall, but not the rest of the pole. Now the only way to go is up and to the left, as shown by the one way sign.

[M3019C LPS20]

New York City's department of transportation maintains its signals well. Though other different brands of traffic signals exist throughout the boroughs today, there are still a large number of Marbelite traffic signals in use. Many of them are over 40 years old, and these still look great, since the D.O.T. repaints them every couple of years. This is true for the signal equipment as well, such as junction boxes and signal controller cabinets. Interestingly enough, too, from what I have seen, the folks even repaint inoperable pedestrian push buttons still intact.

Most of the traffic signals from Marbelite in New York City are the model TE-19408 traffic signals (parallelogram version of the mid 1960s and early 1970s), while others, as a small percentage, are of the 1058 and flat-top models. In regards to installation, some of those throughout the city date back to as far as 1954 and still look fantastic today.

The city installs new traffic signal heads frequently, so money isn't necessarily an issue, and most of the signal controllers there are computerized; however, others are still electro-mechanical. They will soon be replaced, though, since N.Y.C.D.O.T. intends to have every signalized intersection controlled by a solid-state signal controller sooner or later.




 

[Alex4897]

Maryland (or at least the portions of eastern Maryland that I frequent) maintains their signals pretty well.  The signals always seem to have a good coat of paint, a fair amount of them have been upgraded to LEDs, etc.

Delawares signals are decent, the older intersections tend to be assortments of various types and generations of signals, but those intersections are gradually being replaced by more uniform configurations, with an increasing amount of mast arms being used.

[Mr_Northside]

For what it's worth, based on the original post, it doesn't seem the signals themselves are the problem (at least before crashing to the ground), just the infrastructure that supports them... which apparently isn't considered "core hardware" in Texas.

I know PA does routine inspections of all overhead sign structures, but I'm not sure what the policy is for signal mast-arms & such supporting hardware (or lane instruction/assignment sign hardware).  I'd like to think they keep an eye on them, but I've never really read anything about it either way.

[Duke87]

I love how the signal is still operating as normal despite having been mauled and left lying on the ground.

[hotdogPi]

I love how the signal is still operating as normal despite having been mauled and left lying on the ground.

The only reason the pole got knocked down is as a punishment for the Clearview sign. Everything except the Clearview sign functions normally.

[roadfro]

Nevada seems to fair pretty well in this regard. I've never heard of a signal pole falling or anything, unless it was a vehicular knockdown or other freak accident.

Nevada signal installations, especially those in the last 20-30 years, tend to use wide diameter mast poles and mast arms/poles, so they're very structurally sound. They stand up to windy/gusty conditions well also. Nevada no longer installs the curved mast arms that are so common in California, instead preferring straight mast arms that can be longer and more compliant with overhead signal positioning guidelines.

[txstateends]

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/24019865/dallas-considers-replacing-old-traffic-signals

The city council will vote tonight on a plan to incrementally change out old signals, at a rate of 60 per year, costing $10 million a year.  This will take till 2040 to get all the old signals replaced (!!)

Must be nice, to have 27 years to do something -- at that rate, I-49 could be almost done beforehand

[cpzilliacus]

Baltimore (City) has many ancient signals (the city maintains essentially all arterial roads and streets, plus I-83 within its corporate limits).

MdTA maintains all of I-95, I-395, I-695 and I-895 in Baltimore.  I don't know if they maintain any signals at places where those freeways interface with Baltimore's street grid.

[dfnva]

VDOT (Virginia) maintains signals fairly well, almost too well at times.  Very few signals older than 10-15 years exist in the Northern Virginia district and this district is aggressively replacing what span wire installations remain with mast arms.  If only most of the newer signals installed in the last 10-15 years hadn't been boring McCains.

VDOT-maintained span wires are quite rare in the rest of the state with the exception of the Richmond suburbs. The Richmond suburbs are a treasure trove of signals from the 1980s or earlier that have not been replaced. Most are in fairly decent shape, often retrofitted with LEDs. The only tell-tale signs of age are the first-generation large backplates (if backplates are used at all), the now-defunct brands/styles (Marbellite, LFE, Alusig, Wink-o-matic, etc.), and, of course, faded paint.