Augusta traffic continues to build due to Helene’s impact
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Honking horns, long red lights and bumper-to-bumper traffic continue across Augusta.
Now that many are back to normal work schedules, you probably noticed the difference during rush hour traffic.
So, what’s the issue?
The intersection of Walton Way and Fleming Avenue is one of two in Richmond County that still does not have power.
Traffic Engineering says they expect to have the light up and running next week.
Turning the lights on is only the first step to getting traffic moving normally again.
Think about the clocks in your house. Chances are each clock reads a different time.
“That’s the same with traffic signals. We need them all off to run off the same clock, and we use the internet to set the clocks. And so as soon as they’re all on the same time, then we can start coordinating things the way that people are used to,” said John Ussery, assistant director of Traffic Engineering in Augusta.
It’s why you’re sitting at a red light longer than usual.
“We need to reestablish communications with our traffic signals. The reason that’s important is all the traffic signals need to run off the same clock. And if they run off the same clock, then we can get the coordination timing in and some of the adaptive timing back in. The other thing is the video detection needs to be working correctly in order for us to do that,” said Ussery.
CSRA golf courses continue to recover from Helene
Golf courses around the CSRA were not immune to Helene’s impact, changing the field of play in some cases. We were able to get our News 12 drone over the Patch on Thursday to get a firsthand look at all the damage.
Once that’s done, Ussery says, “Roads like Peach Orchard or Washington Road, then they’ll flow better than they do today.”
The volume of traffic on the roads is something Traffic Engineering says is higher than what they normally see this time of year.
“Masters traffic is a good comparison. We’ve just seen a lot of traffic everywhere, even on times that we’re not used to seeing that much traffic. Normally, you see a lot of traffic in the morning when people go to work and in the afternoon when they go home,” he said.
In the meantime, just know it may take a little longer to get to work or to drive home.
“There’s just a lot of people sort of all over the place. The timing does play a part in that but at the same time it’s just the volumes are higher It’s not just the timing,” said Ussery.
Traffic Engineering says their goal is to have the lights running like normal by Christmas.
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