Willis Lamm's Traffic Signal Collection Special Presentation   STREET SMARTS! PRESERVING THE PAST and SAVING MONEY Part Three

This feature is a continuation from Part One in which the context of this discussion is explained. Milford Center is a village in Union County, OH, with a population under 1,000. In the center of town is the intersection of US-36 / State Route 4 and Mill Street (County Road 57.) As is typical in many older districts, some of the buildings were placed right on the street corners, limiting visibility of approaching cross traffic. Milford Center Councilman Jeff Parren described the historic issues associated with this intersection and how an affordable result was achieved. For decades, as with hundreds of smaller communities, the intersection was controlled by a single Eagle 4-way signal. When the MUTCD redundancy requirement was imposed on state and federal highways, the village obtained a 12-inch Marbelite cluster that was suspended alongside the old Eagle to meet the standard. However, that "improvement" came with its own issues. Aside from the unappealing appearance of the mismatched signals, the new cluster required 135 watt bulbs causing the electricity bill for the intersection to more than double. Having a 12-inch cluster hung on the same span as an 8-inch four-way could create an illusion for unfamiliar drivers that there were actually two intersections. Finally, as the silver mirroring on the old Eagle's reflectors began to fail and peel away, light would bleed from one indication into an indication facing a cross street, creating "phantom" illuminations. In addition, the village did not have its own electrical department, so simple tasks such as changing aged or burned out light bulbs came with significant service call costs. It was time to upgrade the intersection to correct both the technical and economic defects, and that is where Milford Center got creative. Their vision was to upgrade the controller, add some pedestrian protection, and standardize the signals hanging over the intersection. An article in the Ohio Municipal League Journal described how older signals were being modernized to improve safety and save money, and the arguments presented in the article provided a road map for Milford Center to actually achieve its vision. Councilman Parren contacted historic preservationist Barrett Williams who in turn connected Milford Center with sources for a second Eagle traffic signal (excess from a village to the south,) functional pedestrian signals from the same period, and a more modern controller. The incandescent signal indications were upgraded to LEDs, not only saving in electrical costs, but eliminating costly periodic lamp replacements. The village also acquired a polycarbonate cluster for $100.00 to "fill in" for their original Eagle signal while it was being refurbished. Preparing to remove dysfunctional equipment. Installing modern controller components. Installing "traditional look" pedestrian heads. Assembling refurbished Eagle 4-way signals. Installing the refurbished Eagle signals. Project complete. One minor miscommunication resulted in the refurbished equipment being painted green. (The original equipment was yellow.) However the end result was less "utilitarian" and was aesthetically attractive. Councilman Parren explained that the overall cost of the project was around $16,000.00. The entire cost of the intersection's safety upgrades, with the added benefits of restoring historic ambiance, would eventually be recouped through lower electrical bills and significantly reduced service calls. (It should be noted that the intersection project was not the only time Milford Center got creative by repurposing excess equipment. Their acumen in recognizing what could be preserved and reused and in networking with others to find practical solutions, saved ODOT more than $100,000.00 when a highway bridge at the north side of the village was renovated... and the bridge was refurbished while preserving its railings' historic decorative look.) Returning to the subject of Milford Center's signalized intersection, Councilman Parren proudly states, "While updating the intersection we made it more safe, less expensive, and retained the nostalgia and charm of days gone by." That outcome equates to a win-win-win for the present and for future generations. Councilman Parren's daughter checks out the operation. For a related feature that illustrates how communities small and large have succeeded in preserving historic ambiance while saving money upgrading intersections, please visit Fixed Four-Way Signals in the New Millenium. Return to Part Two Return to Signals Page