IF conducts traffic study

Some red lights in Bonneville County are on their way out. The Idaho Falls City’s Public Works Division will soon begin a study to determine which traffic lights are unnecessary.

City officials submitted an application at last week’s city council meeting to complete the study. Many are worried there are too many traffic lights, which may be counterproductive to their purpose.

Idaho Falls City Engineer Kent Fugal said the city really needs this study.

“We really needed to look at some of these signals to see if they were still needed. Obviously there was a reason that they were installed in the first place, but are they still needed now?” said Fugal.

Data showed that an average drive speeds were well below the posted speed limit during a timed drive down one of Bonneville County’s most congested streets, East 17th Street. From S. Holmes Avenue to Hitt Road is a distance of two miles, taking six minutes, which is an average speed of 20 miles per hour. The posted speed limit was 35 miles per hour.

Driving three miles down the same road took six minutes and 30 seconds with an average speed of 28 miles per hour in a 35-to-40-mile-per-hour zone.

The city is paying close attention to signals in and around historic downtown; Signals on S. Holmes, E. 17th Street and S. Yellowstone. If the city does remove any of these traffic signals, they will place stop signs on side roads leading to the main roads.

The study will be funded by $100,000 from federal and local contributions.