Most people dislike sitting at a red light for two minutes when there isn’t any traffic coming or when a light only stays green for two out of 10 cars at the intersection. These occurrences, however, should be less of an issue later this year.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved as part of the consent agenda at its meeting Tuesday a resolution to allow new coordinated traffic timing plans on four major corridors. Traffic flow should improve as the plans will be based on common patterns.

Traffic analysis will be performed and the plans created by Traffic Engineering Consultants of Oklahoma City, giving Fort Smith 44 intersections with new timing.

Most of the intersections receiving the new timing plans are along Rogers Avenue, Waldron Road, Zero Street and U.S. 71, which regularly carry heavy amounts of traffic. Massard Road and Phoenix Avenue are included on the Rogers Avenue upgrade map.

“We’re not replacing any traffic signals at all with this traffic project,” said Director of Engineering Stan Snodgrass. “This is purely a project to improve traffic flow on these corridors.”

Snodgrass said the firm will spend approximately two months collecting data at the various intersections.

“At each intersection, based on 15-minute intervals, they take your turning movements of each vehicle in every direction,” Snodgrass said.

These readings are done for two hours in the morning, afternoon and evening. This allows for the peak hours to be determined and “plugged into a traffic model” set up based on the spacing between each of the connected intersections, Snodgrass said.

Five primary timing plans are created for the morning, mid-morning, afternoon, mid-afternoon and evening. Snodgrass said the firm will also look at weekend driving patterns.

Once these plans are put into the city’s system, Snodgrass said there can be tweaks made in the field as necessary.

This project should not exceed $102,000, according to the memo from Snodgrass to City Administrator Carl Geffken. The final payment will be based on the amount of time worked.

Snodgrass said it has been at least three to five years since the corridors have been coordinated. Downtown Fort Smith is one of the primary routes with an updated timing plan, Snodgrass told the directors.

“I was really excited about it,” said At-large Director Neal Martin. “I think it’s a positive thing for the city, a positive thing for the citizens. I think this is really something that’ll be cool for the folks here.”

The timing plans are part of a single resolution worth $311,000 that also includes street overlays and reconstruction.

Contracts with Morrison-Shipley Engineers and Philip J. Leraris for $115,400 and $93,550, respectively, will improve 4.6 miles of city streets. The two separate phases are both budgeted for out of the 2019 Streets and Associated Drainage Sales Tax Program.

The directors also approved a $2.3 million contract with Forsgren Inc. of Fort Smith for roughly 2.2 miles of street overlays and reconstruction that was budgeted in the 2018 streets plan.

“The estimated notice to proceed date for this contract is Feb. 25,” Snodgrass wrote in a memo to Geffken. “Based on the contract duration of 210 days, the estimated completion date would be Sept. 22.”

Lastly, the board approved the final payment of $1,667 for a line repainting project, which stripped the old paint and replaced it with a fresh coat on several of the city’s most populous routes.