A temporary traffic light went live Wednesday morning at one of the more dangerous intersections in Spring Hill.
At 9 a.m. the light, at the intersection of Miles Johnson and Duplex Road, stopped blinking and started changing colors. The light was installed as part of the overall Duplex Road widening project. The necessary right-of-way is being acquired, just as a temporary signal was installed a few months ago at Duplex and Port Royal Road.
“These are considered temporary signals for now as they will be simply wooden poles with traffic lights strung across to ensure safety until the road can be widened,” Jamie Page wrote for the City of Spring Hill. “Once the widening project is under construction, permanent traffic signals will be installed at four key intersections along Duplex Road: Port Royal Road, Miles Johnson Parkway, Buckner Lane, and Commonwealth Drive.”
The lights were approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation a few years ago, and it took until now for the city to be able to install them.
“Unfortunately, getting a signal installed on a state roadway can be a lengthy and complex path,” the city wrote on Facebook. “The City has recognized the need for it for over a decade and began asking the state at that time to widen Duplex Road (State Route 247) and install signals at key intersections there. Since the signal warrants were approved years ago by the state, it took this long to go through the state’s required legal process and for the City to acquire the right-of-way needed to be able to install a signal, which is part of the overall process of getting Duplex ready for the state to widen it.”
The Duplex Road widening project continues.
Permanent signals will be installed in these locations once the SR247/Duplex Rd widening project is completed by T-DOT.
According to a 2012 report by the Spring Hill Transportation Advisory Committee, the Miles Johnson/Duplex Road intersection has the third-highest rate of traffic incidents of any intersection in Spring Hill. It has a rate of 1.66 incidents per 1,000 cars.
The highest rate belonged to Port Royal Road and Commonwealth Drive, with 3.97 incidents per 1,000 cars.
