Traffic Signals on Pearl Road to be Synced Soon

If you've noticed a lot of stopping and going on part of Pearl Road, it's because the traffic signals still aren't synchrionized.

The widening project altered the timing of lights on the section of Pearl near Royalton Road, meaning they are not yet being regulated by a traffic-sensitive computer system.

City Engineer Ken Mikula said he expects the synchronization to be completed "very soon," probably within a month.

"It's something we're pushing very hard on," Mikula said.

Once it's finished, motorists can expect much smoother sailing on Pearl Road all the way from Center Middle School to Ellsworth Drive, he said.

The newly widened stretch of Pearl is now being monitored by  that use state-of-the-art technology to monitor traffic flow between Shurmer and Drake roads.

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. 

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.

Even though the section of Pearl Road north of Shurmer will still be regulated the old way, the two systems will be synchronized with the same computer system, Mikula said.