Beginning early Friday October 23, about 17,000 drivers per day who travel Hillsboro Road at Fieldstone Parkway should see improved left turn safety at this intersection. The City of Franklin is installing a new traffic signal–a left-turn signal with flashing yellow arrows at this intersection.
The Flashing Yellow Arrow signal display is a four-section signal head that incorporates a green left-turn arrow display for protected left-turn movements and a flashing yellow arrow display for permitted left-turn movements. The flashing yellow left turn arrow intuitively highlights the caution needed to safely accomplish the left turn movement. Signs will also be placed adjacent to the new four-section signal heads that state LEFT TURN YIELD ON FLASHING YELLOW ARROW. This measure will be applied to both the northbound and southbound directions on Hillsboro Road.
These displays have been approved nationally since 2009 and have been installed in parts of eastern Tennessee and throughout the state of Kentucky. Franklin’s first flashing yellow arrow signals were installed in April of this year on Mallory Station Road at General George Patton Drive / Duke Drive, for that special situation at a railroad crossing; these have been well-received and readily understood by motorists.
A recurring pattern of rare but severe left turn crashes has led the City of Franklin to investigate options for safety improvements at this intersection. A key factor in the crashes is the misjudgment of the high speed of oncoming through vehicles. Research of the safety effects of the flashing yellow left turn arrow shows that over the course of several months, conversions of the green arrow/green ball left turns to the green arrow/flashing yellow arrow left turns generate a significant reduction in the number of total intersection crashes.
The Franklin Police will be on hand to observe the traffic flow the first few days to make sure drivers understand the new signals. Motorists who have questions or comments on this change may contact City of Franklin Traffic Engineer Carl Baughman at 615-791-3218 or by email at [email protected].
More Special Report: Williamson County Traffic
