Drivers frustrated by stopped public buses causing traffic jams on one of Palm Beach County’s biggest roads should see such congestion cut as early as summer 2026 thanks to new traffic technology, officials for county bus operator Palm Tran say.
Traffic lights along a 32-mile stretch of U.S. 1 will stay green longer when buses approach them thanks to special devices that will be installed at those intersections. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue will also be able to take advantage of this technology to rush to their destinations faster in emergencies. It’s all part of an $11.6 million package county commissioners approved March 11.
Port St. Lucie-based Gerelco Traffic Controls will install special receivers for buses in traffic signals on U.S. 1 between Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton and Northlake Boulevard in North Palm Beach. The company will also install receivers in more than 900 traffic signals countywide that communicate with emergency vehicles.
If the greener lights on U.S. 1 prove successful at reducing bus route delays, Gerelco will install more of those devices for traffic lights along Okeechobee Boulevard and Lake Worth Road, the contract says. The new technology will also allow the bus operator to collect data on measures such as on-time performance to see how well it works, Palm Tran transit planning manager Ira Brewster said.
Wireless communicators installed on buses will tell traffic control devices to keep traffic lights green for three seconds longer when those vehicles approach them. About 140 buses will be equipped with this technology during the first phase of the program, Palm Tran Executive Director Ivan Maldonado told county commissioners in March.
About $4.8 million of the money paid to Gerelco will come from grants such as those won by the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency, a federally mandated agency that helps secure money from federal and state government for local transportation projects.
These transit improvements are part of Palm Tran’s 561 Plan, which calls for such upgrades along busy roads the agency’s busiest bus routes serve. The 561 Plan was developed in 2017. Palm Tran’s busiest line is Route 1 on U.S. 1 and Dixie Highway.
Public bus operators in places such as Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Rhode Island, which installed these traffic devices, reduced route delays and in one instance sped up service so much they took one bus off a route and used it to increase frequency on another, Maldonado said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to continue to improve transportation across our network,” he said.
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue will have 30 vehicles outfitted with these traffic light communicators as part of the first phase of its plan, at a cost of $1.25 million.
The devices will save emergency vehicles 10 seconds per traffic light, Assistant Chief David Woodside told county commissioners. “When seconds count, this is what we need,” he said.
Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: New traffic-lights on U.S. 1 will help bus-induced traffic jams in Palm Beach County
Reporting by Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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