By: Jeff Farrell
The Mountain Press
Sevierville, TN — Some new cameras could help Sevierville officials get a better handle on the ever changing traffic on Highway 66 during and after expansion of the road.
Officials are quick to say the improvement comes without using the camera for traffic enforcement — it won’t result in tickets for motorists at the red lights.
The GridSmart cameras, made by Aldis Inc., give a 360-degree view of the area around a traffic light. Using special software, they can be used to change traffic signals to keep up with current conditions.
That sounded like a good fit for Highway 66, especially as the expansion will force constant shifts in the flow of traffic as work moves to different lanes.
“It’s as close as you can get to having a person at the traffic controls,” City Manager Steve Hendrix said.
After getting permission from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen during a workshop, Hendrix has asked the Tennessee Department of Transportation to install the cameras instead of replacing the loops currently use by the city. The change means they can add the lights right away, rather than waiting until the end of the construction.
TDOT was scheduled to fix the loops as it wrapped up work on the project, and the work is included in the budget for the state project.
Matt Grenoe, a vice president with Aldis, said the software can detect the speed and direction of travel for cars, and uses a mathematical equation to determine when to extend or decrease the time for each signal.
That means it can adjust for backups without the need for a police officer to go by and change the cycle.
It will also allow the city to collect real data on traffic flow during different hours, days or seasons, instead of using projections based on data collected for a few days.
During a recent workshop, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen gave Hendrix a consensus that he could approach the state with the idea of switching the cameras for the loops they currently use, which are placed under the pavement near intersections.
They also reviewed the latest plans for downtown parking. The issue hasn’t been discussed much since the Board of Mayor and Aldermen decided to abandon plans for a parking garage on Bruce Street. That also ended plans for “streetscaping” along downtown streets, because the new garage would have replaced parking places lost when the city expanded sidewalks and added planters.
The newest design for the city’s downtown parking area calls for rest rooms, electrical outlets and landscaping in the city’s parking area on Bruce Street. The public parking area — the same one the city was considering for the garage — was being leased but is now owned by the city.
“As the parking garage went away, and the streetscapes went away, we asked ourselves what could we do to bring al little of both back to the downtown area,” Hendrix said.
The electric outlets and rest rooms will help when the city is hosting events like the Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass festival. The plan still calls for additional parking spaces.
While the drawing showed a booth to collect payments, Hendrix said they don’t plan on having a booth or making the free parking area into a pay parking area.
“We’re not planning on doing that,” Hendrix said.
The board also asked engineers to bring back information on adding a stage to the building that would house the rest rooms. Alderman Barry Gibbs suggested the change, noting the could use a design similar to what the city of Knoxville has at Market Square.