Look up as you're driving on the recently widenend stretch of Pearl Road between Shurmer and Drake and you'll see a new addition to the traffic signals -- video cameras.

The cameras were installed as a state-of-the-art way to keep traffic flowing.

They are not there to catch speeders or red light violators, said John Bedford, the city's director of communication and technology.

"We have no intention of using them for speed or red lights or that type of thing," Bedford said.

But they will give police a front-row seat when they're investigating accidents or other crimes that take place in the intersections.

The cameras, installed to regulate traffic signals by keeping tabs on how many cars are stacking up, also capture video images of the intersection. 

In fact, Bedford said a camera at the corner of Pearl and Royalton roads was already instrumental in investigating a case in which someone was sideswiped in that intersection.

"It was all caught on video," he said.

Strongsville officials agreed to upgrade signal technology along the newly paved stretch of Pearl, replacing under-the-road loop detectors that now trigger traffic lights to change in most intersections with cameras that register how many cars are lining up and adjust the signal to accommodate the flow.

It's the best solution for crowded roadways, Bedford said.

"We can't limit the amount of traffic and we can't widen the roads any more. But we can process the cars as fast as possible," he said.

Video detection "is a very effective way to do that," he said.

Bedford said the new cameras -- at Pearl and Drake, Echo, Marc's, the post office and Shurmer -- can now be accessed to provide real-time information about what's going on at those intersections.

Eventually, they will all feed back into the city's Communication Center at the same time to allow officials to see what's happening at each corner at a glance.

"The cameras will be used not only for changing traffic lights, but for sending live feeds," Bedford said. "It (the technology) works very well."