Ask Now: Why are there so many traffic lights on Highway 100?

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Why are there so many traffic lights on Highway 100?

Issue: An inquiring reader counted 15 traffic signals between Greenfield and North avenues. He said the approximately 12-minute trip to go three miles with 40 to 45 mph limits is "pretty bad."

Status: Those lights control traffic at numerous, heavy-volume east-west intersections of the road, something that cannot be altered, said DOT spokesperson Michael Pyritz. He said eliminating any of those signals would cause major traffic backups for eastbound-westbound vehicles. In fact, the pattern of heavy east-west traffic stretches as far south as Oklahoma Avenue and north to Capitol Drive.

"The signals have been timed to allow a smooth flow of traffic," Pyritz said, noting that sensors have the ability to change the length of signals as traffic builds up in any direction.

"It is always a work in progress," Pyritz said. "Everything is computerized, so we are looking at that all the time."

Like many current traffic spots near the Zoo Interchange, Highway 100 has a high flow of traffic due to Interstate 94 roadwork and the access points that are in flux due to their own reconstruction.

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