An issue that has long irked New Orleanians has, reportedly, been fixed. New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno took to Instagram on Sunday to make the announcement: Traffic lights along Poydras Street are synced.
“We finally got the traffic lights timed correctly on Poydras,” Moreno states.
The mayor’s video then shows Steve Nelson (Deputy CAO of the city’s Public Works Department) driving down Poydras Street. Starting at Loyola Avenue, Nelson records a series of four lights (going toward the river) from South Rampart to O’Keefe to Baronne. All of them remain green as the car travels Southeast.
“We got the controller swapped out, and it is working like a champ,” Nelson explains.
Moreno says that although the improvement may not be a “huge, major infrastructure thing… bottom line, it was a very annoying and frustrating problem for commuters, and I just want to say thank you to Steve Nelson and his team for finally getting this thing fixed.”
The mayor's office also issued a press release, explaining that the Department of Public Works plans to target other areas to undergo the same traffic light synchronization efforts, but did not specify which areas will receive sync-treatment next.
“The Department of Public Works will continue monitoring the signals and making adjustments as needed to help maintain synchronizations and support smoother travel along the busy corridor,” the press release states.
Quoting Mayor Moreno, the press release explains: “Getting this fixed is exactly the kind of basic city service improvement the people of New Orleans deserve. We’re focused on and prioritize the big challenges facing our city, but that doesn’t mean we can ignore the little things that impact people’s everyday lives.”
