New traffic signal in Houston to light up by Aug. 1

Work is expected to begin in a few weeks on a new traffic signal at a busy intersection in Houston County.

At its April 4 meeting, the Houston County Commission awarded a contract to construct the traffic signal at the intersection of Lake Joy Road and Cohen Walker Drive, which is just south of Ga. 96. The intersection has seen a rash of accidents since the Ga. 96 widening project opened. The Ga. 96 widening project also included the widening of that section of Lake Joy Road. After the extra lanes on Lake Joy Road opened, the need for a traffic signal became more urgent.

The contract was for $184,306 and was awarded to Bass Signal Corp. of Milledgeville. Bass had the lowest of two bids.

Robbie Dunbar, the county’s director of operations, said work at the intersection won’t be seen for about another six weeks because the concrete poles to hold up the signal system have to be custom built. Once that is done the installation will begin.

That will include the computer system that operates the light and signals for pedestrians. The contract also includes making cuts in the roads to insert wires that will trigger a light change when a vehicle pulls up during certain hours of the day.

The contract calls for the work to be completed by Aug. 1, before the school year begins.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 1:14 PM with the headline "New traffic signal in Houston to light up by Aug. 1."