KNOXVILLE — Knoxville is preparing to take on a large-scale project to improve traffic on major roads.
The project will cost $9 million and should be finished by late 2019, according to Traffic Engineering Chief Jeff Branham.
“Right now, we have a design complete for Broadway, Chapman Highway and Kingston Pike," he said.
Branham said the project will use smart technology so operators can change traffic lights depending on traffic patterns.
The old system only let operators see when a car was at a light.
According to Branham, the new one will allow them to record what happens on the roads to form strategies for the future.
There is also potential for operators to access the lights through a smart-phone in the future.
“We know how many cars are going straight through the intersection versus the turning movements which allows us to better fine-tune the timing at that location," said Branham. “You make a much better decision when you have more information about what traffic is doing.”
In 2017, Knoxville partnered with Gridsmart to install one camera on the corner of Kingston Pike and Northshore.
Bill Malkes, CEO of Gridsmart, said the camera allowed his company to recommend the city change the mandatory left-turn signal to a yield signal which proved a success.
"We had no increase in accidents from doing that but 4,000 vehicles or ten percent more a day got through that intersection," he said.
Malkes said it only takes three hours to add Gridsmart technology to an intersection.
“Once we actually did 39 intersections in 10 days,” he said.
Right now, Knoxville has eight smart intersections, but that will soon increase.
The city hopes to bid out the project and have it complete by late 2019.
After that, the city will work on additional smart technology around Magnolia, Clinton Highway, Middlebrook Pike and other roadways.