Over the past decade, the City of New Britain has removed unwarranted traffic signals at a number of locations, providing cost savings in the form of traffic signal replacements, electricity and ongoing controller and equipment maintenance.

Removing these unwarranted traffic signals required an engineering study to confirm that the traffic volumes fell below the levels indicated in the MUTCD warrants and that appropriate intersection sight distances were provided. The Engineering, Public Works, Police and Board of Education staff collaborated to ensure negative impacts would be avoided. We’ve provided a summary of a few of these locations, with before and after photos.

Ellis Street at Bassett Street

Date of Removal: 2015
Replacement: All-way stop control

The intersection of Ellis Street at Bassett Street is located in a residential neighborhood with the Northend School situated on the southeast corner.

The traffic signal at this location was aging, and the Department of Public Works received numerous complaints regarding the signal going into flash. When this occurred at night, city residents were forced to pay two employees a minimum of four hours of overtime pay for an emergency call-in.

During an inspection of the signal, a weld between the span pole and base plate at the northeast corner was found to be 30% corroded. The poor condition of the pole base and anchor bolts posed a safety concern, so Public Works removed the signal poles and equipment, replacing them with four-way stop control. The Engineering Division then conducted a traffic study to examine replacing the signal.

The City then conducted an engineering study to examine traffic volumes, crash history, and other factors and determined to leave the all-way stop control in place because a traffic signal is not warranted at the location.

Some residents and crossing guards feared eliminating the traffic signal would reduce safety at the intersection and were opposed to the removal, but the intersection has continued to operate efficiently with no significant increases in crash frequency or severity.

Hart Street at Lincoln Street

Date of Removal: 2015
Replacement: All-way stop control

Hart Street at Lincoln Street is a low-volume intersection located in a residential historic district. In 2012, the City converted a full-function traffic signal to all-way stop control with stop signs and flashing beacons. In 2015, when faced with the decision to either remove or replace the traffic signal, Public Works and the Police Commission decided to remove the beacon, eliminating the associated ongoing maintenance costs and requirements. The City removed the old, rusty controller cabinet and other equipment and painted crosswalks at the intersection, making it more aesthetically pleasing overall.

Monroe Street at Vance Street

Date of Removal: 2015
Replacement: All-way stop control and changed adjacent intersection to two-way control

The intersection of Monroe Street at Vance Street is located within a residential neighborhood. The traffic signal equipment at the intersection was outdated, and upgrading or replacing the signal was estimated to cost $150,000. Engineering conducted a needs study and found the traffic volumes did not warrant a traffic signal at the location.

The adjacent intersection of Monroe Street at Coolidge Street provided all-way stop control. A review of traffic volumes and sight lines at the Monroe Street at Coolidge Street intersection showed that all-way stop control was not warranted. The City removed stop signs on Monroe Street to provide two-way stop control on Coolidge Street and minimize the number of stops vehicles are required to make along Monroe Street.

Allen Street at Oak Street

Date of Removal: 2017
Replacement: All-way stop control and changed adjacent intersection to two-way stop control

The intersection of Allen Street at Oak Street is located within a commercial area and was once controlled by a traffic signal. Traffic signal equipment at the intersection exceeded its design life and required increased maintenance, and an engineering study revealed the traffic signal was not warranted. Based on the volumes alone, two-way stop control was warranted but there was limited intersection sight distance looking west from Allen Street, so the City installed four-way stop control. During the transition from signalized control to stop sign control, the existing controller flashed red on all approaches for approximately one month.

As closely spaced stop-controlled intersections along a corridor can lead to aggressive driving and reduced compliance with stop control, the City removed stop control on the Allen Street approaches at the adjacent intersection with Carlton Street at the same time the Oak Street signal was removed.

Allen Street at McClintock Street

Date of Removal: 2015
Replacement: All-way stop control

In 2014, the City was evaluating the Allen Street at McClintock Street intersection as part of Phase I of a project to reconstruct a section of Allen Street, from Farmington Avenue to Oak Street.  Engineering conducted a traffic signal needs study, which indicated the traffic signal was not warranted. In 2015, the City installed four-way stop control at the intersection rather than replacing the traffic signal, reducing the cost of Phase I of the Allen Street reconstruction project and eliminating the cost of future traffic signal maintenance.

Corbin Avenue at Pinehurst Avenue
Date of Removal: 2018
Replacement: All-way stop control

The intersection of Corbin Avenue at Pinehurst Avenue once had a flashing beacon facing all three approaches. During a milling and paving project in 2017, the City calmed traffic in the area by reducing travel lane widths to 11 feet, installing bike lanes in both directions, and adding a parking lane on the west side of Corbin Avenue. Although travel speeds were not collected, the City noted that speeds appeared to have been reduced after the changes, and crashes remained low. The flashing beacon was removed.

Additional traffic signal resources can be found on the T2 Center website:
https://www.t2center.uconn.edu/signalcircuitriderNEW.php