Green lights all the way on Porter Road

The stoplights on Porter Road have been adjusted to allow drivers to hit more green lights and improve the commute between Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway and Smith-Enke Road.

Before the adjustment, the drive would take approximately 11 minutes.

“This project was specifically for the Porter Road corridor,” Maricopa engineering inspector Rob Dolson said. “There are seven signals heading north and south. Drivers were getting stuck at each one.”

The traffic signals were analyzed by Y.S. Mantri & Associates LLC traffic engineering group. The data they collected showed the average time to navigate Porter Road between Smith-Enke Road and MCG Highway. The engineering group recommended progressively timing the signals to improve efficiency.

The adjustments to the timing of the stoplights now allow drivers to navigate Porter Road in just four minutes.

Instead of having the lights change based off sensors, each light’s timing was adjusted to allow drivers continuous green lights.

“The traffic signals are not interconnected, so they stay synchronized,” Dolson said. “The design speed was adjusted to improve the timing of each light. With the timing in sync, drivers should see [significantly more] green lights.”

According to a report released by Maricopa Public Works, progressive timing of traffic signals is a product of Intelligent Transportation System. This technology infrastructure applies emerging hardware and software to improve safety, decrease travel times and reduce fuel consumption.