Officials meet with DOT on lights

A local lawmaker met with a Department of Transportation (DOT) head Monday to discuss the recently installed downtown traffic signal upgrades, but there's still no word on what came of the meeting.

It's not clear what Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, and Tony Chapman, deputy secretary for engineering, discussed, but a DOT spokesperson did confirm that Chapman was to report back to the DOT's executive director, Buck Limehouse, after the meeting.

There have been unsubstantiated reports that Limehouse will be in Aiken later this week to review the adjustments; however, DOT officials Monday could not confirm the executive director's schedule.

It was at the behest of Ryberg, and at least one other local legislator, that the recent upgrades were reviewed and then adjusted last week, the DOT reported.

A spokesperson for the transportation department added that if the new operation is determined to be unfeasible, the DOT has the option to revert to the old timing system on all downtown roads.

The engineer who has overseen the project thus far, Carol Jones, said that decision was not hers to make.

Engineers are still planing to add backplates and louvered shades to the upgraded downtown signal heads in an attempted to alleviate driver confusion when they approach an intersection and are faced with a near red light and far green one.

The backplates will surround the signal heads and should help to draw drivers' attention to the immediate red light, Jones said.

Engineers also plan to add louvered shades to the far green signal to dim the light. The shades have been described as similar to the heating and air conditioning vents in a car.

Those changes are minor, she said, and should not add much to the overall price tag of the project, which is still being estimated at anywhere from $350,000 to $375,000.

State engineers must still draw up street marking plans that will allow the City to take down the barricades still present downtown.

Contact Karen Daily at kdaily@aikenstandard.com.