Workers install new stoplights on Commerce Street

Published 5:33 pm Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Traffic flow on Commerce Street is expected to return to normal Friday, as maintenance crews finish installing new traffic signals and wires at the Pine Street intersection.

Chris Hilyer, operations manager with the Alabama Department of Transportation, said the project got underway last Thursday.

“We had an existing signal in need of regularly scheduled maintenance,” Hilyer said. “The extent of the maintenance meant that the citizens of Butler County would be better served by installing new equipment.”

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Hilyer said his crews are installing LED, or light emitting diode, stoplights, instead of the traditional incandescent signals.

“These lights will allow a drastic reduction in power usage,” Hilyer said. “It’s something we have been doing all across the division.”

Hiyler said the city can expect to save money by not having to replace bulbs as often.

“The life expectancy of LED lights is at least double the number of hours of an incandescent bulb,” Hilyer said.