UPDATE as of Jan. 28, 2020:
Why are there so many traffic lights right now?
Currently we have two sets of signals installed. There is a temporary set (wooden poles and lights hanging from wires) that is operational that was put in place in September of 2019 to allow for Cherriots new routes to operate as designed, including turning left into and out of the Keizer Transit Center. The other set is of lights are the permanent signals (metal poles with lights attached to arms) that will be used once the new system is fully installed and operational. Once the new system is functioning, the temporary signals will be removed.
Why don't the lights seem to line up with the traffic lanes?
The new system is not fully adjusted, lined up, or tested at this point. The signal heads have just been attached to the arms and there is a lot more fine tuning and finishing that will take place as the work is being completed.
When will they be functional?
The project is currently scheduled to be completed no later than April 30, 2020.
How does this relate to Cherriots?
The project to add signals to the entrance to the Keizer Transit Center allows for buses and other vehicles traveling to and from the Keizer Transit Center to access it with a left turn. Without the signal, vehicles, including buses, could only turn right into the Keizer Transit Center, and turn right coming out. This required all vehicles leaving the Keizer Transit Center to have to travel through the Keizer Station complex. This added a lot of extra travel for the buses and other vehicles that, over time, adds up. With the change in traffic flow, the city of Keizer also required some changes to the next intersection, which is why there has also been work at that location in this project.
ORIGINAL POST on February 23, 2019:
After operating the Keizer Transit Center (KTC) for more than five years with right-in / right-out access only, KTC is about to get a new traffic signal to allow for right or left turn access in and out of the property. The traffic signal was included in the original design, but initial engineer’s estimates placed the cost above the funds Cherriots had to build the transit center.
As a result, the signal was eliminated from the project. At the end of the project construction, however, there was enough grant balance to complete the signal project.
Because the signal will also benefit Keizer for development of property to the west of KTC, an agreement was negotiated with the city to pay the local match against the grants Cherriots has with the Federal Transit Administration. The negotiation took a significant amount of time but once in place, the engineering, design, and environmental work proceeded.
In September 2018, an invitation to bid was released for the construction of the signal and the additional road and signal work required because of the traffic flow changes. Brown Construction, Inc. from Eugene, Oregon, was the successful bidder.
The full project will include a full signalized intersection at the entrance of KTC, the addition of a second left-turn lane at the intersection with Lockhaven Road, and associated changes to the traffic signals at that intersection. Full construction work began last month and the project is to be completed and fully functional no later than Aug. 16, 2019. The contractor is confident in that date and indicated in the schedule that construction could be completed sooner.
