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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – According to an announcement made on social media on Friday, Feb. 23, the city of Pelham has made improvements to two intersections within its city limits in the form of thermal imaging cameras. These cameras have served to upgraded existing infrastructure and promise to aid in the balance of traffic flow.

Now installed and active at the intersections of Highway 119 at Oak Mountain Circle and Highway 31 at Pelham Plaza, the two thermal imaging cameras will automatically detect vehicles as they collect at turn lanes and cross streets and will trigger the cycling of signals to better the flow of traffic and cut down wait and stop times.

This new technology serves to replace the former method of traffic detection, referred to as magnetic loop systems, that are becoming increasingly outdated and prove expensive to service, repair and replace.

“The magnetic loops are buried in the pavement and can be damaged by deterioration of the pavement, utility excavations etc,” said Michael Eddington, city engineer and deputy director of development services and public works.

Additionally, those systems are easily compromised from construction and must be replaced any time repaving or significant maintenance occurs to maintain their effectiveness.

“Installing new loops requires cutting the pavement and can be a major disruption of traffic,” Eddington said.

According to city officials, the new system will allow not only for better maintenance of the system, but will also allow for live alterations to traffic flow that can improvise and adapt to the situation at hand.

“The existing loop detection system was malfunctioning and in need of repair,” Eddington said. “The new detection equipment will improve traffic flow by only triggering a signal phase when a vehicle is present in the turn lane or cross street. The equipment can be monitored remotely, and signal timing adjusted when congestion occurs.”

These two cameras are the first in a line of planned intersection upgrades slated for the city with 12 more intersections planned to be completed by October 2024. Those 12 cameras, planned for installation along intersections along Highways 119 and 31, will receive bids for their procurement beginning in April before moving forward.

The intersections currently planned to receive the cameras are as follows:

•  Hwy 119 at Woodward Drive
•  Hwy 119 at Oak Mtn State Park Road
•  Hwy 119 at Southgate Drive
•  I-65 NB Ramps
•  I-65 SB Ramps
•  US-31 at Old Montgomery Hwy
•  US-31 at Winslett Road
•  US-31 at Hwy 119
•  US-31 at Chandalar Drive
•  US-31 at Crosscreek Trail
•  US-31 at Pelham Park Boulevard
•  US-31 at Industrial Drive

According to the city’s communications department, the system will also communicate traffic data to the State of Alabama’s Regional Traffic Operations (RTOP) to work toward balancing traffic flows.

Although the cameras will be used to detect when a vehicle approaches the intersection and will be used to trigger the various traffic signal phases, “Green, yellow, red and turn arrows,” they will not be used in any capacities related to surveillance or law enforcement.

“They are not used to detect traffic violations and there are no plans to use them for that purpose,” Eddington said.

The expenses related to the two installed cameras, as well as the proposed 12 that have yet to receive bids, were all included in the city’s latest budget. The city of Pelham has confirmed that no grant funds were, or plan to be, utilized in regard to the cameras.

The two cameras currently in place were installed on Monday, Feb. 12 and are currently active.

Those wishing to read more about the cameras and ongoing intersection upgrades, are encouraged to read more at the city of Pelham’s website at Pelhamalabama.gov/1182/Traffic-Signal-Detection-Upgrades.