By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
BHP reader Jim DeMarco wrote in asking if we knew what was up with the new traffic light being installed on Moores Lane at Gordon Petty Drive. “I'm really curious to see how this works in the morning and evening rush hours,” he said, “and also the logic behind the light at that spot.  Seems like it's really going to make things bottleneck.”

“Just curious to see who and why they're doing this.” 

Thanks for writing us Jim. For the answers, we sought out Brentwood’s assistant  city manager Kirk Bednar.

The city has received complaints for years from residents that live in the Brenthaven, Eldorado Acres, Crockett Springs and Crockett Hills neighborhoods about the difficulty in safely accessing Moores Lane due to the road’s heavy traffic volumes, Bednar explained.

The problem was compounded by the fact that all of these subdivisions have access points to Moores Lane at different locations “and none of them line up with each other to create a traditional four-legged intersection that might warrant a traffic signal,” he continued.

 In 2010, the City undertook a signal warrant study using a slightly different approach than normal.  “While none of these intersecting streets generated enough traffic volume today to warrant a signal, the 2010 study analyzed the potential for a signal at Gordon Petty Drive to attract traffic and generate a sufficient volume. 

Gordon Petty was selected as the intersection for this study because it is a collector road on the city’s Major Thoroughfare Plan, connects to Concord Road on the other end (as Knox Valley Drive) at a traffic signal, and is far enough away from the signal at Carothers Boulevard to allow for sufficient separation between the two signals.

 “The study assumed that if a signal was installed at Gordon Petty and therefore provided a safe method for accessing Moore’s Lane from the north, a certain percentage of traffic now using Covington Drive and Crockett Hill Blvd. would travel to Gordon Petty to utilize the signalized intersection,” Bednar said. Once this traffic volume was added to the existing Gordon Petty traffic volume, the intersection met the warrant for a signal.

“We are obviously very aware that this signal will impact the flow of traffic on Moores Lane,” he noted. “When the signal is operational, which should be within the next 30 days, we plan to operate it in a way that gives heavy preference to Moore’s Lane, especially during the peak travel times. 

“When the signal goes live, we will monitor it very closely for several days and probably end up tweaking the signal timing quite often to try and have it work as efficiently as possible.  Like we do at other signals all over town, we will also place the signal on flash sometime in the evening when traffic volumes on Moores Lane lessen.”

So that’s What’s Up with That. Do you have a question about something in Brentwood you’d like us to investigate for you? If so, email news@brentwoodhomepage.com and put WHAT’S UP WITH THAT in the subject line.