Traffic signals in downtown Birmingham. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Have you ever sat at a red light downtown, staring at the empty intersection while not a single car passes under the green light? You’re not alone—Birmingham’s network of currently uncoordinated traffic signals can cause unnecessary congestion and inconsistent delays.

To help with the issue, the Birmingham City Council will be matching and utilizing more than $2 million in federal grant funding to upgrade the city’s traffic signals.

Birmingham plans traffic signals upgrade project

According to the Birmingham Department of Transportation (BDOT), the city has 700 some odd traffic signals placed at intersections around the city; yet, only a fraction are connected to and controlled by the traffic control center at City Hall.

“At one time, many of these traffic signals were hardwired to a control center in City Hall which allowed for the remote optimization of those connected signals. Over the years, many of those connections have been severed.

Traffic signals can operate independently of course. However, the internal clocks do drift over time. Additionally, many signals aren’t equipped with cameras or in-ground vehicle detection and therefore don’t have the capability of adjusting to varying traffic volume.”
Darrel O’Quinn, President, Birmingham City Council

With hundreds of traffic signals operating independently of one another, there isn’t much control over the flow of traffic—leading to delays, congestion and inconsistent traffic patterns.

The Birmingham City Council began taking steps to alleviate the issue earlier this year and officially accepted federal grant funding during a meeting on Tuesday.

“One of BDOT’s priorities is restoring the previous traffic signal communications. The receipt of federal assistance approved by the Council on Tuesday will move us closer to that goal.”
Darrel O’Quinn, President, Birmingham City Council

The project is boosted by a $2 million federal grant from the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP), a program created under and funded through the Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Biden in 2021. The funding will be matched by the City of Birmingham and used to install new technology that allows signals to communicate with each other.

Excited to see traffic improved in downtown Birmingham? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!