The now-operational traffic signals at 12th and West Market streets are smarter than their predecessors thanks to an added feature.
"They're sensors which will give emergency vehicles the green light," Pottsville Councilman Michael P. Halcovage said Thursday.
They're called "traffic signal pre-emption transmitters," according to Sean Brown, safety press officer for the state Department of Transportation, District 5, Allentown.
"Emergency vehicles, in their light bars, there's like a little strobe in the middle. It flashes at a certain rate," Halcovage said Thursday.
"This allows the vehicle to communicate with the signal in order to preempt the signal's timing and change the emergency vehicle's direction of movement to green during an emergency. This gives the emergency vehicle the ability to get through a traffic light without having to go through a traffic light on red," Brown said Friday.
Thomas A. Palamar, city administrator, said this is the only intersection in the city with such devices. And PennDOT gave the city the option to have them installed.
"They were optional. We did not have to get them, but we thought it would be a good idea, especially at that intersection. And that was included in the bid from the beginning," Palamar said Friday.
The City of Pottsville was hoping to complete the installation of new traffic signals at 12th and West Market streets by the end of October.
A few unforeseen problems, like Hurricane Sandy, have caused delays.
Earlier this month, Palamar was hoping it would be complete before the end of the year. But recent snowy weather might delay completion until early January, he said Thursday.
The $306,851 project includes the installation of four new traffic poles with overhead signal lights, four pedestrian signals and curb cuts to accommodate wheelchair users.
The general contractor, Kuharchik Construction Inc., Exeter, has installed underground wiring, the bases for the new lights, the mast arms and the new lights.
"They're operational and they took the old lights down on Thursday. We used to call the old lights 'lollipop lamps' because the lights were in rows of red, yellow and green. All they have to do is a little bit of concrete work and that's it, as far as I know. If the weather holds up, they'll probably get to that next week," Dan Kelly, city superintendent of streets, said Friday.
The city is financing the project with $148,847 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds and $158,004 in state Automated Red Light Enforcement grant funds, Palamar said previously.