YORK COUNTY, Pa. -- Get ready and get set for traffic lights along Route 30 in York County to switch to green - and go.
Greg Penny, a PennDOT spokesperson, said, "It'll help move traffic more quickly and more smoothly, so if you drive the corridor you're not having the frequent stops at red lights. It'll tend to be more green."
Penny said an adaptive traffic light system is scheduled to be activated on April 25.
Eleven traffic signals are located along the corridor on Route 30 from North Hills Road in Springettsbury Township, to Kenneth Road in West Manchester Township. A twelfth traffic signal is located at the intersection of Eden Road and Gate 1.
Penny said, "It takes a look at the whole corridor that runs through several municipalities and adjusts the timing of the signal based on the flow of traffic or the volume of traffic coming through the corridor."
West Manchester Township Manager Kelly Kelch said the lights will help with congestion.
"I think any improvement to Route 30 is going to be welcome by the motoring public," Kelch said.
Penny said although drivers on Route 30 will see more green lights, with the exception of rush hour, the sequencing of the lights may be different for drivers traveling on the side roads.
He said, "People who may have been accustomed to approaching Route 30 from the side roads and tripping a green light right away, well they may have to wait a little longer because the emphasis is on moving the Route 30 traffic."
It's important for these drivers to be patient.
Kelch said, "Not to run those signals and assume that they're malfunctioning to just kind of give it time to see how they work out. And I think they'll see an improvement over the long run."
These adaptive lights have been used successfully on sections of Route 22 and Carlisle Pike as well.
While not a perfect solution, Penny said it's definitely an improvement.
"It's a technology that's growing in use and popularity and it's the way of the future," he said.
Two more adaptive traffic signal systems will be put in roads on York County: one on Route 74 from Dover to West Manchester Township on May 9 and the other on Richland Avenue on June 6.
Penny said PennDOT has a contract with Kuharhik Construction, Inc. of Exter, Pa. to install the adaptive systems. The systems will be maintained for a couple years, but eventually municipalities will have to pay to maintain them.