WESTFIELD—There may be a little less congestion and waiting in the future at the intersection of Union Street, Springdale Road and Paper Mill Road following an announcement by the Westfield Traffic Commission.
The Westfield Traffic Commission announced during their meeting Wednesday that plans are in the works for a new traffic light at the intersection of Union Street, Springdale Road and Paper Mill Road. A timeframe for the project however, is pending based on funding.
According to commission member and city engineer Mark Cressotti, the project must also still go through the design and installation process, which is expected to be done by a contractor.
According to Cressotti, the project looks like it may cost under $500,000. The funding must be discussed however, which could determine a further timeline.
Westfield city engineer Mark Cressotti
Commission chairperson and Westfield Police Chief John Camerota said that although there are not many accidents at the intersection it does get bogged down with “heavy traffic area at certain times of the day,” which can cause long delays at the intersection for some motorists.
Camerota also said that in order for the light to be OKed, there had to be a certain number of vehicles that go through the intersection, which was met.
The traffic light is expected to have two sets of sensors to help improve the flow of traffic. One sensor will be a camera sensor that are seen on the top of many traffic lights in the city, and additional sensors will be placed in the roadway at various points to determine where traffic is.
According to Cressotti, the review for the traffic light came from a request by Westfield City Council this past March.
