Responsible Department:
Public Works, Engineering Division

Activity Contact Person:
Fred Schneider, Director
(352) 483-9045, fschneider@lakecountyfl.gov

Funding Allocation: $403,470.13

Project Status: Complete

To learn about the amazing results of this program, see our newsletter.

Lake County proposes to inventory the County-wide traffic signal and street light system and design short and long-term implementation plans for retrofits and upgrades. Lake County currently maintains 182 traffic signals (75 County-owned, 107 through inter-local agreements with cities), 52 warning flashers, 19 overhead warning beacons, 84 school flashers, and 30 street lights. Traffic signals will be evaluated for corridor synchronization and updating of existing timing plans. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) will be evaluated for their usefulness to the County and implementation costs.

This EECBG activity has four (4) parts:

1. Consultant activity to review the entire County-wide traffic signal and street light system. The consultant will also provide a planning and implementation program for Lake County. This plan will develop the program in stages with time frames based on cost and efficiency. The plan will prioritize which improvements should be performed in the short term and which one should be performed in the long term. The consultant will also provide a plan to track and assess energy savings and reductions in energy use.
   
   
2. Consultant activity to develop the timing programs, construction plans, and specifications for short-term improvements.
   
   
3. Consultant activity to assist in the construction engineering and inspection of all new hardware, systems, and signal synchronization timings put into effect to ensure that they are performing at optimum efficiency as proposed in the developed construction plans. The consultant will make necessary adjustments in the field for the new timing plans.
   
   
4. Hiring of a contractor for the installation of new hardware, street lights, LED traffic signals, ITS, and other systems as programmed and funded by the plan under this program.
   
   

This program will have a number of long-term benefits. It will improve traffic flow and efficiency by reducing delays, which will, in turn, reduce carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions. The reduction in delays will lead to projected travel time improvements of up to 20%. This will help the overall local air quality. The program will also convert outdoor lighting from inefficient to efficient energy systems. Lamp energy use on retrofitted systems will improve by up to 80%. Replacing these lights results in a significant long-term reduction of County funds spent on outdated high-pressure sodium lighting. Use of more efficient fixtures also reduces GHG emissions originating from lighting energy consumption and maintenance. Financial support for this project promotes a greater market for the technology, reducing future initial costs and payback time.